How Does Dairy Queen Stack Up Against Its Competitors?
Dairy Queen is a trademark brand that has practically become a household name in the world of icy treats. Serving up cool, creamy, and delicious soft serve since 1940, the brand is still going strong, with plenty of fans filling up its queue in search of a tasty frozen snack. Still, we can't ignore the fact that some companies out there rival Dairy Queen and, to be honest, might prove even better. And while "better" tends to be somewhat of a subjective term, aspects such as flavor, quality, pricing, and menu offerings can really make a difference when comparing Dairy Queen with its competitors.
So, how exactly does Dairy Queen fare against others? Read on to find out. We'll be exploring information about similar ice cream establishments and how they may differ from the ice cream royalty we refer to as Dairy Queen. And while each spot mentioned here may not be an exact replica of the soft serve giant, each is known for dishing up frozen treats, making it easy to juxtapose various attributes to discover which ice cream shops in this category reign supreme. And with that, let's begin to swirl our way through just how well Dairy Queen stacks up against its competitors.
Menchie's Frozen Yogurt
Yes, Menchie's is a frozen yogurt shop, but be careful not to knock it -– you'll likely enjoy it just as much as Dairy Queen, if not even better! Menchie's Frozen Yogurt is a great place to score a low-fat treat while satisfying your craving for sweets all at the same time. Though it's technically yogurt, the frozen goodies at Menchie's will likely have you forgetting all about that as the company whips up cool and velvety soft serve alongside a multitude of fun toppings that essentially allow you to create your yogurt just as you like it.
Feel free to enjoy Menchie's in more than 30 states, with several locations seemingly in the works to debut in states such as Wisconsin, Vermont, and Wyoming, among others. Though the chain is not available in 49 states like DQ, you can count on Menchie's to do it up in terms of flavor, leaving good ole Dairy Queen in the dust when it comes to delectable offerings. Select from standout yogurt flavors like Cinnamon Crumb Cake, Chocolate Hazelnut Pie, or Dutch Apple Pie as opposed to Dairy Queen's humdrum vanilla assortment.
Not into all the fancy flavors? No problem. You can still select your typical strawberry, vanilla, and chocolate flavors at Menchie's if you'd prefer. Also, unlike DQ, you can expect to indulge in soft serve made intentionally for those on low-carb, vegan, or even dairy-free diets. Impressive!
Sonic Drive-In
You all knew Sonic Drive-In had to make the list of stiff competitors for DQ, right? After all, the two restaurants feature a similar schtick with fast food offerings and temping frozen treats to get your mouth watering and stomach rumbling. But how exactly do these two fast food giants stack against one another? Let's find out.
In terms of warm bites, we think Sonic Drive-In wins for the most creative and interesting menu assortment. Yeah, Dairy Queen has burgers, tenders, and fries, but Sonic has those plus pickle fries, chili cheese tots, French toast sticks, breakfast burritos, and so much more. Yes, we know that some Dairy Queen locations serve breakfast too; however, you are able to get breakfast at most of the Sonic locations all day long, making it a preferable option over Dairy Queen in this category.
Also, you should know that the prices on burgers, ice cream, and shakes are all comparable between Dairy Queen and Sonic Drive-In, though you'll definitely see a slight fluctuation in pricing depending on where you live and what you order. Overall, we think Sonic Drive-In is a better pick in terms of warm options ... but you should note that its frozen treats tend to be similar with vanilla soft serve shakes and slushes to choose from. To each their own!
Tastee Freez
Tastee Freez is very similar to Dairy Queen. Known for its old-school hometown vibes, Tastee Freez has only a handful of standalone locations left, but it can also be found paired with Hamburger Stand and Wienerschnitzel spots in California, Arizona, and Illinois. The restaurant dishes up tasty eats comparable to Dairy Queen, including burgers, fries, onion rings, shakes, ice cream, and other items you'd typically associate with American casual grub. The pricing is also comparable, though some items, like the onion rings, may come out a bit cheaper at Dairy Queen, depending on the location.
As far as ice cream offerings, expect the soft serve to be offered in classic flavors, including chocolate, vanilla, twist, and dipped chocolate. Despite the seemingly basic lineup at Tastee Freez, the addition of chocolate ice cream there is an upgrade compared with Dairy Queen, which only offers vanilla and dipped chocolate vanilla cones. Both restaurants offer strawberry, chocolate, pineapple, and caramel sundae toppings, so if you're a fan of classic flavors, you'll find satisfying options at both Tastee Freez and Dairy Queen.
Twistee Treat
Living in Texas or Florida? If so, you may be lucky enough to score a lick at a local Twistee Treat establishment. This cone-shaped building is packed with fabulous little "twisty treats" that locals appear to love. It's got cones, cups, shakes, glaciers, sundaes, malts, floats, and even twirls. It also has waffle tacos and ice cream sandwiches made with cookies. Expect far-out flavors that surpass your typical Dairy Queen fare; you'll get to sample a variety of tastes, including banana, coffee, watermelon, cheesecake, and more. As of the time of publication, there were 21 flavors in all. That doesn't even include the twirl, glacier, and float options — phew!
One thing to note when comparing Twistee Treat to Dairy Queen, though, is that Twistee Treat lacks meal options. The establishment seems focused on only one thing, and that's to satisfy your desire for sweets. Thus, you shouldn't expect to find juicy burgers or even french fries on tap here. So unless you're planning your meals around dessert, you'll have to get your lunch or dinner fix elsewhere.
In terms of pricing, the two restaurants are a bit difficult to gauge since prices vary based on sizing, and not all pricing information is available online. Still, from the few menu prices we were able to gather, it seems that you probably won't end up paying much more at one restaurant than the other, but again, that depends on your location, what you order, and what size you crave.
Baskin-Robbins
Baskin-Robbins is a household name commonly associated with delicious ice cream. Still, it isn't quite the same as your local DQ. Like many of the other joints on this list, Baskin-Robbins focuses primarily on its frozen treats. This means you won't find hearty meals like chicken tenders or fries on its menu. Instead, expect to discover baked goods along with tons of yummy scooped ice cream flavors, much different from anything Dairy Queen offers. Note also that though you'll find a Dairy Queen in every state except Vermont, you'll find a Baskin-Robbins in 44 states plus the District of Columbia, which isn't too bad comparatively!
As of the time of publication, Baskin-Robbins offers countless flavor options for its traditional ice cream. Unlike Dairy Queen's soft serve, Baskin-Robbins dishes up real scoops featuring mango, rainbow sherbert, Oreo Smores, cherries jubilee, cotton candy, coffee shop cold brew, peanut butter and chocolate, rocky road, and many other flavors. One thing that Baskin-Robbins and Dairy Queen do have in common is that they both offer ice cream cakes. Having said that, we have to admit that Baskin-Robbin's cakes have a bit more razzle dazzle when compared to Dairy Queen's very mundane and boring options. Baskin-Robbins offers a plethora of creative ice cream cake types, many of which cater to specific holidays or special occasions. Thus, if you're in need of a good ice cream cake with plenty of unique charm, Baskin-Robbins may be the best place for fun picks.
Culver's
Perhaps one of the most intensely competitive frozen treat establishments to give Dairy Queen a run for its money is none other than Culver's, which is known for its intensely juicy Butterburgers, crispy fries, and oh-so-delectable frozen custard. Fans flock to the restaurant to get their hands on the Flavor of the Day, a creamy commodity that yields a yummy custard surprise at each Culver's location. And though Culver's offers soft-serve style ice cream, its Flavor of the Day option typically comes in the form of traditionally scooped frozen fare.
Aside from tasty ice cream scoops, Culver's makes more in terms of menu items than you'd ever find at Dairy Queen. We already touched on the fact that Culver's has impossibly scrumptious burgers, but there's even more to discover on the menu. Culver's offers fried cod dinners featuring fries, cole slaw, and, of course, tangy tartar sauce. In addition, Culver's offers a multitude of salad options along with cheese curds, chili, and more.
Another way to compare Dairy Queen and Culver's is to peek at the Blizzard versus Concrete Mixer varieties. Expect Dairy Queen's Blizzard options to come pre-made, while Culvers gives you the chance to create your own creamy sensation, which we really love. Which one tastes better is totally up to your taste buds ... we'll let you make the final call on that one.
Cold Stone Creamery
Cold Stone Creamery is another joint that dishes up sweet treats, but unlike a few of the others, this establishment is more focused on ice cream than Dairy Queen and other DQ competitors. Cold Stone Creamery prides itself on serving deliciously creamy scooped ice cream options and flavors. Many of the desserts can be incorporated with fun mix-ins, and the establishment offers several decadent seasonal treats, including Frosted Pumpkin Bread, Stuck on Apples, and so much more. If you can't stop in during seasonal times, try the Apple Pie A La Cold Stone or Birthday Cake Remix. With impeccable options, Cold Stone stands out in a league of its own when compared to Dairy Queen's very standard, traditional, and somewhat boring soft serve.
It's also important to note that you'll likely pay more -– much more -– at your local Cold Stone Creamery than you will at Dairy Queen. The smallest size at Cold Stone Creamery ran us as much as $5 a pop (compared to $2 for a small cone at Dairy Queen), something which shocked us at first revelation. It may still be worth it for some, though for others, the price point may be just enough to keep them DQ-loyal.
Friendly's
If you're living on the East Coast, consider yourself lucky ... you just may find a Friendly's restaurant near you. Like Dairy Queen, Friendly's offers both ice cream and entrees, but the menu is bigger — much bigger. We had a hard time finding the end of the online menu offerings, where everything but the kitchen sink seemed to be offered. Choose from delicious sandwiches, comforting soups, omelets, French toast, breakfast sliders, and more.
As for the ice cream? There are plenty of fun and interesting options awaiting you that, in our opinion, blow DQ out of the water. Choose between a Hunka Chunka PB Fudge Sundae, Retro Royal Banana Split, or Raspberry Crunch Super Sundae. Folks, that only scratches the surface. Just know that despite dishing up the goods, Friendly's has prices that also reflect the goodness it provides its customers with. Though it's not wildly expensive, you definitely shouldn't expect Friendly's to provide Dairy Queen value on most menu items. Depending on your location, your ice cream may cost you $7 and up, based on what you get. Thus, while Friendly's menu is impressive, if you want to save on dollars and still get a sweet fix, then Dairy Queen might be the better option.
Graeter's
Hailing from Cincinnati, Graeter's can now be found all over the nation. The classic ice cream chain doesn't serve your average Dairy Queen soft serve but rather, hand-scooped high-quality ice cream in a variety of flavors.
Now, we know what you DQ fans are thinking. What about the hot eats and baked treats? Honestly, treats and savory eats aren't quite Graeter's forte as the company exclusively focuses on making quality ice cream doled out in sugar cones, waffle cones, and dishes. Still, like Dairy Queen, you can expect to find sundae options, but Graeter's doesn't stop at simple syrups or split bananas to make its sundaes complete. Try Graeter's 1870 Tower once, and you'll see exactly what we mean. Its Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip Ice Cream piled high on top of a chocolate cake poured over with hot fudge, crowned with fluffy whipped cream, and doused with pecans is pure perfection. Yes, we realize that Dairy Queen has a brownie and ice cream offering too, but come on ... does what we just described match a brownie thrown in a plastic cup with a few syrups tossed over it? Not hardly.
One more thing to note is that the pricing at Graeter's is higher in comparison as well –- though not quite as high as other ice cream places on the list. All in all, if it's great ice cream you seek, we think Graeter's has an advantage over Dairy Queen, hands down.
Haagen-Dazs
Haagen-Dazs is yet another household ice cream name, and yes, you can find the brand hand-scooping ice cream in stores! You may need to search a bit to find a standalone Haagen-Dazs location, but if you are anywhere near one of its more than 200 U.S. locations, you may wish to give it a try. Like so many other Dairy Queen rivals, Haagen-Dazs doesn't offer the typical fast food selections here, nor will you find soft serve. Instead, you'll be met in person with a variety of tasty ice cream flavors, many of which you've probably already feasted your eyes on in your local supermarket cooler.
So, how do people who frequent Haagen-Dazs ice cream shops feel about it? Most think it's great. With a wide variety of flavors such as butter pecan, pineapple coconut, Irish cream brownie, pistachio, and white chocolate raspberry truffle, Haagen-Dazs has more combinations than you can imagine to lure you back to sample another bite. And though there are no french fries to munch on or crispy chicken tenders to savor, you can at least know that you'll get a flavorful scoop from one of the most widely recognized names in ice cream. Yum!
Carvel
Deemed the original soft serve, Carvel offers vanilla and chocolate options, but depending on the store location, that may not be all. It also features its strawberry crunchy cone, chocolate crunchy cone, black raspberry flavors, and more. Carvel offers ice cream by the scoop, along with sorbet, shakes, sundaes, and other tantalizing treats.
Out of all the goodies Carvel features, you won't find DQ-style burgers and onion rings. Thus, if you're particularly hungry for a hot meal to pair with your ice cream dish, Dairy Queen might be your best choice. With that said, if it's ice cream you crave, know that Carvel has plenty of frozen options to keep you satisfied, including a few interesting ice cream cake varieties to boot to help you celebrate special occasions.
As for what the patrons think? It's pretty darn good. Seriously, it was hard for us to find a negative comment for this spot, which makes us think Carvel is definitely holding its own when it comes to the wonderful world of soft-serve ice cream. Bear in mind that with 334 locations in the U.S., it might be tough to find one near you, so be sure to check the website before heading out in search of a Carvel for delicious frozen treats.