DAIRY QUEEN OPENS

The new restaurant is located across from Hudson Park

The DQ parking lot and drive-thru is filled on the first day in business before the lunchtime rush.


Junior Sanders, owner David Harvey, Mrs. Barwick, the Rev. Barwick, owner Rhonda Harvey and Owners Maria and John Lentz at the restaurant’s soft-opening on Saturday.

Story & Photos By LEGION TAYLOR Reporter

The anticipated opening of the new Dairy Queen in Crawfordville went spectacularly on Monday, Aug. 21, as the soft opening event suggested it would.
The soft opening on Saturday, which the owners invited around 200 people to, allowed them to both give a sampling of what the Dairy Queen would be like once it opened, and test that their systems and their workers were capable of handling large crowds. It went well, and indicated that the opening on Monday would go smoothly.
Retired Sheriff David Harvey picked Dairy Queen because he feels it’s a unique brand, and is set apart from the other fast food chains that Crawfordville has.
“The one fast food that I’ve always felt was… American, that’s Dairy Queen,” he said.
Harvey emphasized that this Dairy Queen is one of, if not the only, locally owned fast food restaurant in Crawfordville.
In order to ensure that it’s local, he made sure to hire many workers from Wakulla High School, as that way not only is everyone working at the business living in Wakulla, they also are providing jobs to help the youth build vital work experience.  
“We’re so honored to be able to bring 60 to 75 jobs to Wakulla County and provide yet another place for the youth to be able to come and enjoy a safe treat with their families,” said Maria Lentz, Harvey’s business partner.
Both said they firmly want this Dairy Queen to feel more local than other fast food chains, so that it serves the community of Wakulla and Crawfordville before it caters to beach traffic or people otherwise passing through.
“We’re excited about supporting the community.”
They also said they want to use this business to support youth and youth activities, and are working on youth sports days, where certain days any player on a team at the schools or the rec park can come in wearing their jersey and be given free ice cream. Programs like this are something they are trying to make a priority, in order to give back to the community as best they can.  
According to Lentz, this Dairy Queen also fits into the development plans for the expansion of the highway, as the hope is that a crosswalk will be put across the road extending to Hudson Park once the road has been finished through downtown Crawfordville.
Harvey specifically mentioned that long-term he wishes to help make Crawfordville walkable, and that the Dairy Queen will hopefully fit into that plan.
Lentz also stated that this Dairy Queen building will be the first of its kind, a coastal spin on the traditional look. Likely this is because of its location along Crawfordville Highway, where most of the beach traffic is for our area of the gulf.