By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
The world's first Dairy Queen - the cone with the curl on top - opened in Joliet, Ill. in 1940. Just 13 years later, the franchise opened its first store in Hoisington. Many businesses have come and gone since then, but the Hoisington store is still going. On "Sundae," June 25, from 1-5 p.m., the store will celebrate its 70th birthday. Franchise owner Becky Steiner said the fun begins the week before with daily specials from June 19-24.
"We're going to do 70-cent cones, or 70-cent french fries, or 70-cent hamburgers, sundaes," she said. "We're just going to pick something different every day and run specials for 70 cents for the birthday."
Becky and Leon Steiner have owned the local franchise for nearly 40 years and they've not all been easy. On April 21, 2001, the Dairy Queen was one of several Hoisington businesses leveled by a tornado. Just five months later, shovels were put into the ground on the construction of a new Dairy Queen.
"It was a big decision," Becky said. "With the tornado, we could have moved on and done something else. We just felt that the Dairy Queen has been part of Hoisington and part of the community. We just felt we wanted to come back."
In March 2020, Dairy Queen International directed local franchises to shut down their dining rooms at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Steiner had to make tough decisions about how many employees to keep on and how long to keep the business operational. Three years later, staff is still down from the usual 25-30 employees to just 10.
"I'd like to employ more," said Becky. "I don't think there's a business in Barton County that doesn't need staffing."
That makes the upcoming 70th birthday that much sweeter. The week of 70-cent specials culminates with the birthday party from 1-5 p.m. Refreshments will be provided, and those who make purchases during the week of June 19-24 can sign up for giveaways to be handed out at the birthday party on June 25. Steiner thanks the community for its decades of support.
"We've stuck through a lot," she said. "It's been our job, been our business. It's been a lot of fun."