Then and Now
Hinton Dairy Queen
Linda Hill Mann
John Robert ‘Bob’ Kirk (1909-2002) and his wife Maxine ‘Maw’ Jarrell built the Hinton Dairy Queen in 1953 and owned and operated it for 20 years. The first Dairy Queen in the chain was opened in 1940. Now there are more than 6,400 Dairy Queen restaurants in 27 countries. Soft serve ice cream was invented by a father and son team in 1938.
The Hinton Dairy Queen is considered by many to be the best in the world. It is not like any other Dairy Queen. In addition to the regular DQ menu it has its own menu including slaw, Texas toast buns, pinto beans, delicious cornbread, and macaroni salad to name a few.
What really makes this restaurant so special is that the building overhangs the New River. Because of its unique perch, customers can enjoy scenery that includes mountains, water and local wildlife from the back porch or through the large windows from inside the restaurant.
Ownership changed in 2017. The new owners planned to keep the unique characteristics the restaurant holds. “It’s so unique, it’s not like any other Dairy Queen, it has its own food menu, we want to make this a place for people to come,” said Dairy Queen Co-Owner, Tommy Vance. (onlyinyourstate.com)
The Hinton Dairy Queen built in 1953 is remembered for great chili dogs and its own special menu items. Although owners have changed, its still open and enjoyed 70 years after construction.
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