Name Change
East-side restaurant drops affiliation with Dairy Queen
By Bobbi Mlynar
Monday, June 18, 2007
After 40 years as a franchise business, Dairy Queen East made a transition last Wednesday. It became Dari Delight Eats & Treats.
The change came after considerable research and planning.
“This wasn’t just a spontaneous decision,” said owner Daryl Bolinger of Olpe. “This is something I put a lot of research into.”
Bolinger concluded that the best option for his customers and his business would be to discontinue the DQ affiliation and offer foods that Lyon County taste buds seem to crave.
Dairy Queen corporate managers had decided that all DQ menus across the country would be the same. Products would come from the same suppliers and deviations to accommodate regional tastes no longer would be allowed.
“They have taken away the individuality,” Bolinger said. “DQ wants the system unified. ... They don’t want the old mom-and-pop restaurants any more.”
That suits Bolinger’s new business plan. He wants his store’s menu to include foods that area residents enjoy, instead of a one-size-fits all menu.
“Fanestil hot dogs, that was the first thing we added,” he said. “They’re wonderful, and they’re a local business. A few years ago, Dairy Queen discontinued frozen yogurt. Well, it’s coming back.”
Bolinger will continue to make waffle cones and bowls from scratch on-site — “and not out of a box” — and he plans to bring in new flavors of waffle bowls.
“I found out a lot of things that are available since I’ve been researching product,” he said. He is satisfied that he has found suppliers that will provide quality ingredients and products to replace the DQ line.
Soft-serve ice cream and ice cream cakes will continue; jalapeno poppers have been on the menu for a year or so and cheddar cheese balls will be added soon.
“The (DQ) people in Minnesota that make the decisions don’t like them,” he said. Emporians do.
The most compelling reason for change, however, concerned a DQ mandate that he install a “hot-shot program” for speed of service.
“You precook your meat, put it in a holding unit, and then you boost the heat when a customer comes in to buy it,” Bolinger said.
That program, in Bolinger’s opinion, creates a quality issue.
“You can accomplish (speed) in a lot of other ways,” he said. “Number one, you can have competent, qualified help. We work with headsets through the drive-through. If you have proper staffing, you can take a lot of that prep work away from it. ... I think that people will wait a little bit longer to get good quality prepared food as opposed to cookie cutter, nuked food.”
Bolinger said that he was blessed with an experienced employee who has worked at the East location for more than 20 years; before that, she worked for DQ in Texas. Bolinger’s son-in-law has seven years of experience and Bolinger himself has 27 years of food-service experience on both sides of the counter, as a wholesale sales representative and a restaurant owner.
“We have taken that experience, modified it to our needs, to get quality service,” he said.
“Prices should not change, quality will not change, and service level should get better,” he said. “The biggest changes you’ll notice will be cosmetic.”
Flips (anonymous) says...
I hope they add something vegetarians can eat such as veggie burgers-------or spicy black bean burgers-----grilled cheese----etc/etc/etc-----
June 18, 2007 at 4:21 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
admireed (anonymous) says...
Good for you Daryl. We have several good "mom and pops" in Emporia.
June 18, 2007 at 5:05 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
slimbolen99 (anonymous) says...
Yippeee! I'm glad to see the little guy ditch the big guys! Now, it's up to us Emporians to support this new venture, by skipping McDonalds & Wendy's once a week to go to the East side and munch on some good, legitimate grub.
June 18, 2007 at 8:40 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
rdgrey (anonymous) says...
I too am happy for you. I just hope location isnt a bad factor for you. I love to always see someone stand up for what they believe in and listen to their customers rather than just go with the corprate way. Best of luck to you and look forward to some good food from you establishment.
June 18, 2007 at 8:51 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
bdprotheroe (anonymous) says...
Two tablespoons on inspiration, an ounce of risk, and three cups of determination make a true entrepreneur. Best of luck to you sir in your business endeavor!
Brian Protheroe
San Francisco, CA
June 19, 2007 at 3:44 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
siamesefred (anonymous) says...
I know I shouldn't be surprised that someone wants to give this story a Somali twist...
I've never seen Daryl's restaurant having a problem keeping customers. When I've eaten lunch there, it hasn't been packed, but it's usually 3/4 full. Seems to me, it will be business as usual withoutt having to follow corporate mandates that don't appeal to our tastebuds.
Bravo, Daryl.
June 20, 2007 at 5:42 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
daveedailey (anonymous) says...
Sorry guys, get used to it. He/she "snake" just gets on a negative roll sometimes.
June 20, 2007 at 9:57 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
vankamp (anonymous) says...
I'll have to agree with snake on this one. I happened to go into the Dari Delight this past Sunday and there was a huge crowd of Somalian men standing in the yard of the restaurant. They were whistling and yelling comments and waving at me. I will probably not visit the store by myself again and definately not after dark.
June 20, 2007 at 12:19 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
kansasjayhawks (anonymous) says...
I agree that hanging out near the Somalians is really not the way I would like to spend my day, however, come on......how stuipid are we. If they pose a real threat to you, just call the police, that's what they are there for, and I know for a fact that if anyone felt that threatened by them they would have done so long before now. We still go to Wal-Mart since they are there, we still eat beef and chicken they produce at Tyson, gimmee a break Support the people who are trying to keep this town running.
June 21, 2007 at 3:58 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
kansasjayhawks (anonymous) says...
By the way...the new Ice Cream tastes better than before.
June 21, 2007 at 3:58 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
daveedailey (anonymous) says...
I hope the Dari Delight got a tax break also!! Any bets on that?
June 21, 2007 at 4:02 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
i_am_the_batman (anonymous) says...
Since this is a thread about names, I just wanted to point out that Billie and Jean COULD be a man's name. I find it funny that you were offended by someone who was unable to glean your gender from your androgynous name. The only knowledge kansasjayhawks had of you was your classic internet lurker disposition and ignorance.
In classic snake fashion she with respond with a birrage of words that mean nothing and never will. She will probably try to blast me for using "ten dollar" words like androgynous to imply that I was trying to impress people with my intelligence. Then she will throw in some racial or politcal banter and call it opinion. Finally, top it off with a well placed cuss words cleverly hidden with asterisks and dollar signs.
June 22, 2007 at 9:15 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
MelissaE (anonymous) says...
LMAO!
June 22, 2007 at 9:36 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
daveedailey (anonymous) says...
Sorry snake, but the way you talk and spell is more like a man. Maybe you are both? Don't know, don't care. Your way of saying things comes across as in bad taste as does mine sometimes. Most women will refine their language. By the way, what does make you such a hard ass on life in general? You forget that this is a "free" country and each to his/her opinion. Do not degrade others for what they think. It is all part of life. If you are female, please act and talk like it.
June 22, 2007 at 10:04 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
kansasjayhawks (anonymous) says...
Snake it's very clear you are think you are a lot better than you are, and you don't know as much as you think you do. Don't degrade others by your stereotypes. It is the year 2007 and if you think that being prejudice and judgementmental is any way to live, then it must be sad to be you.
This man is trying his best to make a living in this town. He goes to work everyday and brings home a honest living just like you do, support him a little.
June 22, 2007 at 11:27 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
mythoughts (anonymous) says...
Half the men in the Seminole tribe are named "Billie." Chief Jim Billie, Billie Osceola, Billie Motley--they're all gator wrasslin' manly-men. Then there's the rock guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong (Green Day)
You can't get more all American farm-manly than Mr. Green Jeans. Jean is also a French male name, like the pirate Jean Lafitte. Jean, Gene, Jeanne...
June 22, 2007 at 1:35 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
mylife (anonymous) says...
Haha snake. We'll believe that one when we read it!
June 22, 2007 at 3:14 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
KristieR (anonymous) says...
Snake~So, is that nickname due to all the venom you spew? maybe you should have been snakette and we would have known you were female. Snake and BJM doesn't exactly scream female to me.
June 22, 2007 at 5:54 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )