Special to The Laker/Lutz News
It’s been a successful opening for DQ Grill & Chill at Ballantrae Village Shoppes in Lutz.
Franchise owners Carlos and Pam Saenz, along with their 15-year-old daughter, Madison, are thrilled to see steady traffic inside and through their drive-through lane as neighborhood families and folks just passing by order meals and ice cream treats.
The restaurant is located on the north side of State Road 54, at the entrance to the master-planned communities of Ballantrae and Bexley.
More than 50,000 vehicles travel the state road daily, and high traffic in one reason why the Saenz family chose this location for their first fast-food restaurant.
Another reason is because the family lives just down the road in the Oakstead subdivision, where Pam is a teacher at Oakstead Elementary, and Madison a student at Sun Lake High.
Carlos stepped away from a long career in the insurance industry, including stints at Aetna and Unitedhealthcare, to open his Dairy Queen. He is proud to remain on active duty with the U.S. Air Force Reserves.
When Carlos researched restaurant franchises, he zeroed in on Dairy Queen for a personal reason — it was one of his first fast-food meals in Florida after he moved here from Puerto Rico when he was in middle school.
Carlos feels many others are also nostalgic about the restaurant chain, which began in 1940 with its iconic menu of burgers, hot dogs, fries, Peanut Buster parfaits, Dilly bars and ice cream cones. Dairy Queen celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2015, and these old favorites remain.
Over the years, DQ has expanded its menu to include the incredibly popular Blizzard as well as other tantalizing dairy treats. This includes custom-decorated ice cream cakes perfect for upcoming events, such as birthdays, graduations and Mother’s and Father’s Day.
The chain also added many new food items, including chicken strip baskets and sandwiches, honey-flavored barbecue and most recently, the high profile Kansas-style pork sandwich on pretzel bread.
Through its DQ restaurant, the Saenz family supports special fund-raising events for area schools, with a portion of proceeds benefiting each school.
“We’re excited to be engaged with our neighborhood elementary, middle and high schools, and to partner overall with the Lutz/Land O’ Lakes community, where we proudly live and work,” Carlos said.
813-949-8900
17826 Aprile Drive
Lutz, FL 33559
Sunday through Thursday: 10:30 am – 10:00 pm
Friday and Saturday: 10:30 am – 10:30 pm
