Dairy Queen Grill & Chill — Restaurant in South Carolina

Dairy Queen isn’t exactly the sort of place that inspires a review. It’s just there—like background noise or a beige wall. I’ve been to various Dairy Queens across the country for more than two decades, mostly in the parental phase when “Can we stop for a Blizzard?” was less a question and more a ritual. A quick, frequent, and harmless pit stop that didn’t require thought, effort, or expectations.

One of our kids even worked at one. It was part of his character-building, soft-serve-swirling teenage years. I never thought much about DQ. Until Carolina Forest happened.

We didn’t mean to go. Bruster’s was slightly out of the way, and convenience won. Teenager in the back wanted a medium Oreo Blizzard. Harmless enough. We skipped getting anything for ourselves—partly because we’ve learned that Dairy Queen tends to come with a complimentary race to the bathroom. But I digress.

Drive-through time. I say the words that millions have said before me: “A medium Oreo Blizzard, please.” A muffled reply emerges from the speaker—one of those vague, crackly murmurs engineered specifically to make you question reality. I turn to my wife. “Did she just say eight-thirteen?”

My wife, eyes wide, replies: “Pretty sure she did.”

Now, I’ve heard some wild things in my time. But $8.13 for a medium Blizzard? That’s not a price. That’s a cry for help. That’s the cost of existential dread topped with whipped cream.

At the window, I confirm: “How much is that medium Blizzard?”

“Eight-thirteen,” she says, without irony.

“Eight-thirteen???” I ask again, hoping she might laugh and say just kidding, corporate prank day, here’s your real total.

Nope. Straight face. No hint of remorse. Just a printed receipt: $7.29 plus tax. Yep. $8.13. Not a typo. Not a miscalculation. Just Dairy Queen, casually redefining absurdity.

Now, here’s where things get funny. Later that week, we went to Golden Corral and paid $90 for the three of us. Yes, ninety dollars for a buffet that might generously be described as edible roulette. And yet, as I stared at my third plate, overpriced bread pudding on it, I found myself thinking: you know what? At least it’s not a Blizzard for $8.13.

Perspective is a gift.

In fact, I now measure all local pricing through the Blizzard Index™. Ruth’s Chris? Reasonable. Wicked Tuna? Practically a steal. A new Porsche? Cheap. Because once you’ve paid $8.13 for a medium cup of soft-serve mix-ins, nothing seems outrageous anymore.

Yes, yes, they did the little upside-down Blizzard flip. The great theatrical justification. “Look, it doesn’t fall out!” Neither does my jaw anymore. I’ve already dropped it.

To be clear, I don’t mind paying for pricey food, even overpriced food. But there’s a difference between “that’s a bit much” and “are you robbing me in broad daylight?” Dairy Queen, you’ve crossed that line, salted the earth behind it, and flipped it upside down like a Blizzard.

Will we return? No. Unless they start serving caviar sundaes or the Blizzards come with stock options. Until then, it's a one star for what it is and a five star for the joke they played on us.

Quick side note, dear DQ Fan relations team, don't post a placebo reply to this stating that you hope we will give you another chance and visit again when we're 'craving' DQ again. $8.13 is a strong argument against any craving. Reconsider your pricing and we'll talk. Maybe.

[Edit: I kindly asked you to not post a placebo reply. And you couldn't even do that. If you wanted to route my feedback, here's how it works: carefully mouse your mouse cursor over my text, mark the text you want to copy and right-click it and choose copy. Then paste it with another right click in your...

Worst DQ I've ever been to. I went during happy hour for a Frappe which is a rare treat now that we have two children. I went through the drive through and waited. Finally a woman came on and said.. are you going to order, or what, do you need more time? Ummm really? So, I placed my order, and she told me the item was full proce. So, I asked isn't it happy hour? She said yes pull forward without a total. Then, I got to the window and she said 2.50 something. I said.. so tax is 50 something? With an attitude she said that's what it says. She then closed the window, and I continued to wait for I don't even know what? Finally she came back charging me 1.11. I asked for a receipt which she gave me. She said, you know it's 2 dollars! I'm aware, and she was rude and certainly not doing me any favors. I never got I'm an I'm sorry, please wait or I'm sorry about the wait, no smile either. Lastly, my drink was horrible! I will never ever return here again. I'd rather go across the street to Brusters where the prices are amazing, the ice cream is freah, and I'm greeted with a lovely smile. Additionally, both of my children get free ice...

I have been to this location once before, but it was years ago. It does not seem to be a busy location for the area that it is in. I downloaded the Dairy Queen app and placed a mobile order. I went to the drive-through, told the speaker I had a mobile order, pulled up to the window, and received my food. I ordered a 4-piece chicken strip basket, which comes with a sauce, Texas toast, and a side. I did not order the one with a drink. There was a $2 off a 4-piece chicken strip basket coupon in the app, so I used that. I got the housemade Hidden Valley ranch as my sauce and a large cheese curds as my side. The chicken strips were a slight disappointment because they were relatively small. They were about 3.5 inches from one end to the other. They tasted great, though! The Texas Toast was good, but it felt like filler because it was not very flavorful. The cheese curds were amazing and went well with the sauce. I got to share them with my sister who also enjoyed them. There was also a heart-shaped one in there which was cute! Overall, I really enjoyed this experience, and am glad that this Dairy Queen is...