DQ Celebrates Openings in Illinois, Tennessee

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The Dairy Queen system’s newest restaurant concept has opened its doors at 7601 N. Grand Prairie Drive in Peoria, Illinois, across from the Shops at Grand Prairie. The 2,716-square-foot DQ Grill & Chill restaurant adds 45 new jobs in the area, contributing to Illinois’ employment growth.

The new restaurant will also contribute to the state’s restaurant sales, which according to the National Restaurant Association, are projected to increase by more than 3 percent this year.

“We are excited to open a new DQ Grill & Chill restaurant and welcome the community in to enjoy our full menu of cravable food items, cool treats, and beverages,” says restaurant franchisee Mike Kepple. “This new restaurant is sure to become a location where families and friends can gather to share smiles and stories over a great meal and treats.”

The restaurant can seat 72 guests inside and also offers 12 attractive outdoor patio seats. Bringing together the best of the past and the present, the drive thru is lined with old-fashioned street lamps.

Kepple and his wife Linda are also franchisees of another DQ Grill & Chill restaurant in Peoria on Knoxville Avenue, a DQ restaurant on Sheridan Road in Peoria, and the DQ treat locations in Bartonville and Creve Coeur.

The Dairy Queen system also celebrates the reopening of the DQ Orange Julius store in the Opry Mills Mall in Nashville, which was forced to close temporarily due to the 2010 Tennessee floods. Located at 364 Opry Mills Drive, the location employs a staff of 10.

“I am thrilled to reopen the DQ Orange Julius store at the Opry Mills Mall in Nashville and ready to serve our customers,” says operator Seth Homayoon, who also operates DQ restaurants in Nashville and Madison, and a DQ Grill & Chill restaurant in Hendersonville. “We are excited once again to provide the Nashville community with a great treat location, from that morning smoothie to the after-the-movie Blizzard Treat."