Customers at Shawano’s Dairy Queen may have noticed a new face in the popular restaurant.
Akash Barot and his business partner, Ravi Patel, purchased the business, located at 1005 E. Green Bay St., earlier this year.
“I purchased this restaurant on Jan. 24,” Barot said. “This is the first one and with this business, we bought a Dairy Queen in Carmi, Illinois.”
Barot had been looking for a business to purchase and was intrigued after hearing that Shawano’s Dairy Queen franchise was up for sale.
“We were looking for a good business,” he said. “We had an interest in buying this one. Ravi found this place. He talked with me and we decided to buy it. He and I purchased this place. I was looking for a business, and Ravi has two Dairy Queens. He said, ‘Hey, there’s a good opportunity for another Dairy Queen.’ That’s how we started.”
Barot isn’t planning any major changes to the restaurant.
“No, never,” he said. “The customer gets the same things as in the previous time. I give you my promise that under the new ownership, the customer will get better service.”
Dairy Queen, which opened its first restaurant in Joliet, Illinois, in 1940, is well-known for its ice cream treats, but over the years has added everything from burgers to chicken strips to onion rings to cheese curds to its menu.
Although the restaurant is open year-round, Barot is looking forward to increased business that accompanies warm weather each spring.
“Summer is always challenging for all kinds of businesses,” he said. “We are ready to hire new people. This staff is very good, so I don’t need to train them more.”
The restaurant currently has 22 employees, and Barot plans to add four or five more to his staff.
Current lobby and drive-thru hours are 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. from Sunday to Thursday and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Dairy Queens are located throughout Wisconsin and currently has restaurants in Antigo, Clintonville, Hortonville, New London, Seymour and Waupaca.
Barot didn’t have to think too hard when asked what makes Dairy Queen unique.
“Everything is special, but Dairy Queen has specialties like the Blizzard, which is amazing,” he said. “I think there are about 20 flavors. For the strawberry Blizzard, we don’t use strawberry syrup. We use real strawberries.”
Blizzards, first introduced in 1985, are made with frozen soft-serve ice cream and blended with everything from cookies to candy to sauce. Popular flavors include Oreo, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup and cookie dough.
Dairy Queen is also well-known for the Dilly Bar, first introduced in 1955; the Peanut Buster Parfait, a menu item since 1971; and frozen ice cream cakes.
Menu items like burgers, chicken sandwiches and chicken strips are made to order, which is not always the case at other restaurants.
“When we get the order, we make it at that time,” Barot said.
Although the small lobby and seating area can get crowded at times, another option is the drive-thru, which accounts for much of the restaurant’s business.
“That is a good business for me,” Barot said.
It also helps to be located on Shawano’s busiest street and across the street from the Shawano County Fairgrounds.
Barot and his employees got a taste of how busy the restaurant can get during its annual Customer Appreciation Day on Feb. 22.
“On that day, we featured 50% of on cakes and novelties like the Dilly Bar and Buster Bar and DQ sandwiches,” he said. “We had huge business that day.”
A line of customers stretched from the lobby through the dining area and out of the back door.
“The whole day was like that,” Barot said. “The previous owner told us that was going to happen. We were ready for it mentally, but seeing it for the first time was an amazing experience for me.”
Although Barot is new to Shawano, the community has embraced him and his new business venture.
“The community is super-supportive,” he said. “I don’t have numbers, but it’s good for me. There are lots of things I have to learn. This is a full business, which is new for me. I am here every day, but sometimes I’m not here. I’m going to the bank or the post office.”
Barot had never been to Wisconsin until visiting Shawano to check out the restaurant for the first time.
“When I came to Shawano for the first time, I looked at this town and loved it,” he said. “I’m trying to get knowledge about the culture of Shawano.”
Barot considers himself a hands-on business owner. He may take orders at the counter, help prepare and serve food, or assist customers at the drive-thru window.
“I expect this kind of work I have to do,” he said. “I was ready for that.”
He said he’s received positive feedback from customers so far.
“I believe the customer is like a god to me,” he said. “I always respect them. I don’t have any other businesses, so this is my life. I’m ready to accept any challenge. This was the right decision for me.”
New Shawano DQ owner already feels at home
