What Makes Dairy Queen's Menu In Texas So Unique

One good thing about fast food restaurants is that, no matter where you go, be it your home state or across the country, you'll almost always find the same things you know and love. If you were to go to a big chain restaurant either in downtown New York or the middle of Nowhere, you can still get your favorite combo meal in both locations—just like you would at the one in your neighborhood. 

Of course, there are always a few regional differences, things that may stand out against the usual menu fare. For example, McDonald's sells McLobster rolls over in Maine on occasion (via The New Yorker) and Taco Bell serves up booze-infused slushies at "Taco Bell Cantinas" across the country. In Texas, Dairy Queen offers a bit more variety in their menu than the one a couple of blocks from your house. It may not be anything as exotic as lobster or anything as wild as a Blizzard blended with rum, but that doesn't mean the special menu items don't sound any less unique.

The menu has steak strips and quarter pounders

While your local Dairy Queen is best known for Blizzards, burgers, and chicken tenders, Texas locations are known for a few unique items. According to Taste of Home, Dairy Queen locations in the Lone Star state offers up items like the Hungr-Buster quarter pounder burger, the Belt-Buster or the Triple-Buster burgers that either double or triple your patties, and deep-fried steak strips served with fries, toast, and gravy or chopped up in a salad. If that wasn't enough, you could also buy Tex-Mex fare like nachos and taco salad.

But why does Texas have such a unique menu? Shifting management and Texan state pride may be the reason. When franchise owners began operations in the state, the legal agreements gave them control over their menus (via Austin Monthly). With plenty of freedom to experiment, these restauranters began offering bold innovations and reintroducing long-forgotten items. When the chain was bought back into the Dairy Queen company itself, Texans didn't want to give up their own cultural menu (via Taste of Home). A deal was made so that Dairy Queen restaurants in Texas could keep their unique menu items.