Feel like a Turtle Pecan Cluster Blizzard? You may soon be in luck.
Dairy Queen is likely re-opening in Squamish next spring – this time in the Solterra development across from Home Depot (see page A17).
A potential franchisee posted a message on Facebook asking Squamites if they would like Dairy Queen to return to town. Hundreds of people expressed their enthusiasm.
But opening a restaurant, including big franchises, is risky in Squamish.
Restaurants are one of the fastest growing sectors in the local economy, yet they are among the business investments with the highest risk of failure.
There used to be a Dairy Queen in downtown Squamish. The empty lot will soon be turned into condos.
Along Highway 99 just south of downtown, the familiar look of an old KFC/Taco Bell building, which closed after the 2010 Winter Olympics, is now the bustling Mag’s 99 Fried Chicken & Mexican Cantina – most commonly known as simply Mag’s 99.
The list of defunct restaurants is long, ranging from casual to more formal, including The Klahanie Roadhouse Restaurant across the road from Shannon Falls; Yiannis Taverna, a once popular Greek restaurant downtown, and The Campfire Grill, which replaced Parkside Restaurant and now both are gone.
Squamish is, however, home to a host of flourishing restaurants. There’s Zephyr Café and the Sunshine Bakery Café downtown, the Shady Tree Neighbourhood Pub and Howe Sound Brewery serving up beer and food, casual restaurants like The Crab Apple Café, several sushi places and two Tim Hortons and their more formal counterparts such as Salted Vine Kitchen + Bar and The Barred Owl – the list goes on.
Squamish is a great town to open a restaurant – if you get it right.
It’s not easy. It may seem like an simple prospect, especially with our town’s high proportion of busy commuters who are rushed to pick up food on their way home from work, but it’s never a sure shot.
The franchisee owner of the potential new Dairy Queen is doing his research and thinks Squamish is a good location.
“It hits right in that sweet spot from a population base anywhere between 20,000 to 25,000 residents,” he told The Chief, adding it will likely be a stand-alone location with a drive-through.
He’s banking on Squamish’s growing population and increased traffic through town. Only time will tell.
