Photo: Defunct Dairy Queen - South Macarthur Blvd - Springfield, Illinois
Woe is we! The Dairy Queen on South Macarthur Blvd in Springfield, Illinois seems to have met its final end.
I've never understood why businesses which have lines of customers forking over money close up, and go out of business. Who really knows for sure why the D.Q. on Macarthur was shut down. Operating a restaurant isn't a way to get rich quick, and many fail - even those at good locations.
I've known several families who own, and operate restaurants here in Springfield, Illinois, and I suspect that if they had operated this D.Q. it would still be open.
Photo: Drive Through - Dairy Queen On South Macarthur - Springfield, IL
Long hard hours, and watching every penny is what it takes to make a place like this now closed D.Q.turn a profit.
Anyone who grew up on the southwest side of Springfield, Illinois from 1965-2005 would surely have some delicious memories of this Dairy Queen.
As a child, whenever my family would drive back from Lake Springfield, from a day of fishing, we'd stop, and pick up some cold treats. Were the cones larger then, or did it just seem like that? I guess I was smaller then, so the cones just seemed bigger.
Photo: Dairy Queen - South Macarthur Blvd - Springfield, Illinois
When I had the opportunity to take my child to the very same Dairy Queen I remember the sense of completing the "Circle of Life".
I became "my father" in those moments. What a thrill it was to know that I was doing for my child what my parents had done for me, and at the very same spot!
Photo: Closed Dairy Queen On South Macarthur Blvd - June, 2005
If this D.Q. never opens again, and it looks like it won't, families will miss out on that opportunity - and that's sad to consider.
Traffic on South Macarthur is expected to grow in the future with the planned South Macarthur extension. It would be nice to see the Dairy Queen reopen.
Photo: Dairy Queen No More - Macarthur Blvd - Springfield, IL - June 2005
Perhaps I'm just lamenting the loss of another connection to my childhood, but I can't help but feel a little pain at the sight of Dairy Queen in its current state. It truly was more than just a place to eat.
5 comments:
Good golly! I can't believe how trashed it is inside. After the DQ on South 6th closed several years ago, the one on MacArthur was where we went. I could really go for a pineapple sundae right about now.
Marie,
The more I look at you site the more I'm impressed by it.
You have postings which go back years, long before the whole blog-thing exploded on the scene.
With all that content to delve into I'll be visiting your site more often.
Thanks for your comments. Your fountain photo led me to posting a rant on the Bridge to Nowhere (next post up from this). I had planned that post, but forgot about it.
Yes, it looks awful in the DQ, or what remains of it. An sorry end to a Springfield, Illinois Institution.
I live on State Street and this DQ was just half a block away through the alley. My wife and I really miss it.
The word I heard was that the manager fell ill and the owners closed it because they were unable to run it. Sounds fishy but you know how the rumor mill goes.
CaptainPlaceHolder,
You are so right!
In the end cleanliness, and a smile with service really do count more than all the slick advertising, and glossy images of large swirling soft icecream cones, melted cheese draped over a double stacked BrazerBurger, and not to forget a side of golden brown French Fries still sizzlingly fresh - crackle.
:)
Aahhh, I made myself hungry writing this darnit!
JeromeProphet
The manager, seems to be trying to address the problems. He better, or all the willingness in the world won't stop the store from being shut down, and his career as manager over.
I went to the DQ on North Grand last weekend, and was disappointed. I usually don't a lot of icecream, so when I drove off to find that both my child's, and my own cup of icecream had huge spots of air half way into the cup - I was pretty shaken.
I realized that at MacDonald's I could have bought twelve currently half priced icecream cones for what I paid for two crappily made Blizzards. I was going to go back, and complain, but it was scorching hot, and didn't want to drive back.
The way I figure it is that if saving a few pennies of icecream is worth pissing off a customer - the DQ on North Grand won't be far behind the DQ closed on Macarthur.
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