WA Weird: Why Are There No Dairy Queens in Seattle?

Seattle's Sweet Spot: The Curious Case of Missing Dairy Queen's

Dick's is on Queen Anne Hill in Seattle but surprising that there is not one Dairy Queen in the Seattle city limits.

Dairy Queen can be found in almost every town in the Evergreen State, but for some reason, we seem to be missing a DQ in Seattle proper.

It wasn't always the case, but for some reason, Dairy Queen is the one big franchise that doesn't seem to get any Seattle love. There's a mystery here we need to solve.

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When I lived in Seattle, we had Taco Time along Elliot Bay and other fast food eateries, so it's peculiar that Dairy Queen isn't in Seattle.

It might surprise you, but Dairy Queen was once in Seattle, but where did it go?

What's the Scoop? The Mystery of Seattle's Dairy Queen Absence Explained

There were once three Dairy Queens in Seattle, according to the website wedgewoodinseattlehistory.com

By 1959 one DQ had opened in Seattle on Elliott Avenue west of Seattle Center.  The next year, 1960, the operators added a DQ in Wedgwood, the third DQ to open in north Seattle (after Ballard and the University District; a Lake City Way DQ soon followed.

 

Competition might've been the reason for the Dairy Queen's shutdown. A Boeing recession and other economic reasons might've sealed the fate of the beloved "Blizzard" King.

As of 1980, there are no Dairy Queens in Seattle, but plenty on the outskirts in the bedroom communities. You can check all the DQ Washington State locations here.

So why no Dairy Queens in Seattle in 2025? Speculation says it might be due to franchise requirements, such as a specific mileage/distance per location, or the need to be within a certain mileage of an interstate/highway.

It's an interesting mystery for sure, and Seattleites are missing out on that DQ soft serve and Dilly bars. You can read more about Seattle and the lack of Dairy Queens here.