Dairy Dream — Restaurant in Independence Charter Township

We were regular customers of the Dairy Dream on Airport Rd and Williams Lake Road located in Waterford. Sadly, they did not open this year.

I called the Clarkston Dairy Dream thinking they had the same owners and were told that they were not but that they had similar menus because "the Waterford location stole their menu".

We decided to give it a try. They have outdoor seating, if you can call it that, and Pup Cups, so we took our dog.

The Sashabaw side off The store is very run down. It looks like a house nobody lives in. I took pictures but don't know how to post them. The outdoor dining is located on the Sashabaw street side and consists of three picnic tables with no umbrellas. There are also two wright iron Square tables with chairs. All of the tables were dirty and uninviting. It was a hot and sunny day, so umbrellas would have been nice. We had our dog so we couldn't move inside. I believe the pricing and quantity was basically the same as Waterford.

The ice cream was not Cooks brand, but it was another quality, recognizable name. We preferred the Cooks brand in comparing the two, but that's just personal preference.

They said the hotdogs were all beef hotdogs. That may have been the case, but it did not taste like it to me. They were sorta warm when served.

The Pup Cup was basically the same as any pup cup and came with half a dog treat.

We will not return. It was not an inviting or clean place for...

My wife and I grew up with this place being a hometown staple, so many memories here from my entire childhood. In no way do I want to speak poorly on our experience or service, because everything(other than the ice cream) was great. However this was my first time visiting since they moved across the street. Our bill was around $18 for 2 smalls and a mini tornado. The tornados had minimal toppings(brownie or cookie dough) and only on top, nothing mixed to the tornado. Just a couple lousy chunks sprinkled on top, barely any chocolate syrup was added to the chocolate brownie tornado. Also I am 99% certain they have changed the soft serve they use, it reminds me of cruise ship or nursing home ice cream, very watery and chunky(ice chunks) definitely a low quality soft serve imo. It’s just such a shame because this place really holds so many childhood memories for us.

Edit: someone reached out about my review within just a couple hours. Offered to make our experience right, and assured us that the same soft serve has in fact been used for 38 years! Which is great! They also informed me the issues with the quality are stemming from the machines needing repairs. I will try again in a couple weeks, taking them up on their offer to come back for some tornados on the house. I will update my review again...

Dairy Dream Dairy Queen — and it’s not even close.

This place is a local legend for a reason. Their ice cream Tornados are the crown jewel — thick, creamy, and loaded with mix-ins. Whether you’re a die-hard for Reese’s, Oreos, Butterfinger, or something off-the-wall like cookie dough and hot fudge swirl, they've got options for days. You can customize it your way and they'll mix it in with just the right texture — not too soft, not too hard, always satisfying.

Now, long-time fans will tell you: it used to be even better when they used Cook’s Farm Dairy ice cream — rich, farm-fresh, and honestly unbeatable. They’ve switched to Guernsey now, which is still good, but not quite the same magic. That said, it’s still heads above any chain spot.

Be warned: this place gets packed, especially on summer evenings. Expect a line. But trust me — it’s worth every minute. If you’re anywhere nearby, stop in. It’s a sweet slice of Michigan nostalgia, and it hits the...