Du Quoin council hears new Dairy Queen plan
Ting Ni, operator of the Pinckneyville Dairy Queen, came to Monday night's Du Quoin City Council to share her family's plan for a new Dairy Queen restaurant in Du Quoin.
They are part of a Limited Liability Corporation (LLC) called Taste of Fantasy, LLC, which owns the Pinckneyville Dairy Queen. Ting will be the owner of the Du Quoin restaurant.
She and Du Quoin Economic Development Director Jeff Ashauer explained the financial dynamics of the plan and the timeline for getting it built and opened.
The family will put the building--which conforms to all of Dairy Queen's franchise and licensing requirements--out for bids by the end of this month and hope to start construction within two weeks of accepting those bids. She hopes the new restaurant will be completed in late July or early August.
It will seat 47 people, slightly smaller and more efficient than the 70-seat restaurant building it replaces. What became the Du Quoin Dairy Queen was originally built in the 1980s as a Druthers Restaurant.
After demolition of the existing restaurant building in the Du Quoin State Bankpark, construction will begin on the new building which will have the look, feel and branding of Dairy Queen's newest restaurants.
Ting said Dairy Queen believes the size of the restaurant will be an ideal fit for the Du Quoin-area market.
The family will also partner with the city to create a new entrance to the restaurant off of Grant Way on the north side, eliminating the need to deal with traffic on Rt. 51.
The redevelopment package to finance the project includes a total budget of $1,496,000. The costs include $475,000 to purchase the property from the Du Quoin State Bank, $175,795 for site work, $359,764 for equipment, $100,000 for working capital and $25,000 in franchise fees.
The City of Du Quoin will invest $178,000 from south side development sales tax revenues over six years. The restaurant should do $1.5 million in annual sales and $50,000 annually in sales tax revenue to Du Quoin.
The plan largely mirrors the assistance to Bottom Dollar Foods and Chip Banks Chevrolet.
The restaurant will have an average of 18 employees.
With the plan in place, the council approved the redevelopment resolution.
The council meeting opened with the Pledge of Allegiance led by Mrs. Aue's third grade class at the Du Quoin Elementary School.
The council approved a Du Quoin Lions Club road block application for October 10, 2015 (the fifth of six now allowed by the city).
The council approved the appointment of Chip Banks and Cindi Caroll to the Du Quoin Tourism Commission
The council also approved proclamations for Girl Scout Week and the Du Quoin Youth Club charity ball.