Oreo blizzards, dipped ice cream cones, banana splits and other treats are in Livonia’s near future.
Dairy Queen is coming to town with a grand opening anticipated at 33351 Plymouth Road in May.
The new location will become the lone DQ in Livonia. Brand officials say there used to be one in the western suburb several years ago, but it wasn’t a full-service Grill and Chill.
The treat shop moves into an old Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken shack and becomes the latest addition to the Shelby Park Village plaza. Rite Aid, Jimmy John’s and the Larry’s Foodland grocery store will be among its new neighbors.
The DQ represents the first foray into fast-casual franchising for business duo Nick and Ron Ritts, co-founders of the award-winning Ritts Hospitality group. The restaurateurs own four sit-down diners in Metro Detroit as well as a pizzeria in South Beach, Miami.
“Dairy Queen is just a brand that I think resonates with so many people; it makes them happy,” said Nick Ritts, the son in the father-and-son ownership tandem. “That’s what we’ve been doing for the last 20 years is making people happy with our restaurant business.”
The Dairy Queen butts up against a single-family community and sits within yards of baseball fields in Sheldon Park. Ritts said that’s fertile turf for the blizzard cakes, fudge sundaes and brownie cupfections to flourish.
“That’s what Dairy Queen’s all about,” he said. “Whether you win or lose the baseball game, you get DQ afterward.”
In opening the Dairy Queen franchise, the Ritts join a multinational empire with over 7,000 different locations in 20 different countries. More than 150 of those restaurants are sited in Michigan, according to DQ’s website.
Makeovers to transform the former chicken shack into a Dairy Queen are about 95% complete, according to the franchisees. The kitchen is done, furniture is soon to arrive and the Ritts are on the cusp of hiring staff.
The location will feature an outdoor patio, drive-through and will be one of the few DQs in the state with a modern design. Nick Ritts told What Now Detroit he and his father will look for opportunities to expand and open more DQs in the future.
“If it wasn’t Dairy Queen, I wouldn’t be doing it,” he said. “There’s no other franchise brand that ever hit my heart the way that that brand does.”
