The Common Fast Food Chain You Should Definitely Visit If You're In Texas

When visiting a new state, common advice says to avoid national chains and seek out local restaurant recommendations to experience a taste of the regional culture. Texas, however, is a different story. Sure, Austin is a food lover's paradise with a booming restaurant scene and Houston has some truly unique spots — including this restaurant that lets you dine like a hobbit. But, if there's one eatery that offers an inside peek of life across the state, it's Dairy Queen. Whether you're visiting one of the big cities or sprawling suburbs, or you find yourself making a pit stop in a small town way off the highway, good old DQ should be right near the top of your Texas checklist.

Yes, Dairy Queen, and not just because the menu's a bit different here. With well over 500 locations, Texas is home to more of these fast food joints than any other state. Even many small towns without other big chains — or much to speak of in terms of eateries in general — often have a DQ. For many Texans, the local Dairy Queen is its own little community hub. It's where teens get first jobs, where families stop for lunch on road trips, where friends snap photos, and where relationships blossom over end-of-the-night soft serve. Leaning fully into its status as local icons, the Dairy Queens here even have their own advertising slogan, heard both in TV jingles and seen emblazoned on the chain's interior walls: "That's what I like about Texas."

They say everything's bigger in Texas, and with the Dairy Queen menu, that's true. The menu is different here, with some notable additions that you just can't find at DQ's in other places. Dairy Queen famously doesn't sell real ice cream and is instead focused on a series of lower-fat soft serve (and other frozen treats). While Texas locations have these desserts too, the menu is home to a lot more savory lunch and dinner items. You still have different types of Blizzards to choose from, of course (prep yourself beforehand with 20 Dairy Queen Blizzard flavors ranked worst to best), but only Texas DQs offer chicken-fried steak sandwiches, chicken and dumplings, tacos, steak fingers, and other Lone Star State goodies.

One of the biggest differences is the Beltbuster and other "Buster" burgers. Stacked with two grilled beef patties, tomatoes, purple onions, pickles, and mustard, these hearty sandwiches were added to Texas Dairy Queen menus in 1971 and have been there ever since. There are a few different variations now, though you can't find them in any other state or country. In 2024, a new state-exclusive sauce was added, appropriately named "DQ Texas Sauce."

Famed American author (and proud Texan) Larry McMurtry described Texas DQs as "taverns without alcohol," citing their status as local meetup points in his book, "Walter Benjamin at the Dairy Queen." But how did the chain grow to be such a behemoth in the Lone Star State in the first place?

While some locals may insist that Dairy Queen is a thoroughly Texas institution, the first one opened far away in Joilet, Illinois. That was in 1940 — it would be seven years until the chain reached Texas, with the first franchise opened by Rolly Klose in Austin in 1947. Klose went on to sell franchise rights to a large number of Texas locals from all walks of life, leaving the terms wide open for creativity. This resulted in the franchisees exploring all kinds of new additions to the formerly dessert-focused menu, focusing on competing against rising burger chains such as Whataburger and McDonald's. At the same time, new locations opened up in sleepier towns, quickly becoming places to hang out at for local youth.

In 1980, Klose relinquished his control of the state's franchises back to Dairy Queen's Midwest corporate headquarters. Not wanting to thin out their menus and change their locations to national standards, local franchisees banded together and formed the Texas Dairy Queen Operators' Council, safeguarding their local menu items and branding indefinitely. So, while Dairy Queen may not be considered one of the best regional fast food chains in America, it's still worth visiting for a taste of Texas culture.