Special to 1812Blockhouse
Some Richland County residents may remember August 11, 1948 when John and Winnie Mulherin opened their Dairy Queen store at the corner of Glessner Avenue and Wood Street to sell a new “soft serve” ice cream. One of the first 100 stores in the nation, they sold cones for 5 cents and sundaes and milkshakes for 25 cents.
In 1955, Mulherin’s Snack Bar was built next to the DQ and was known for sloppy joes, french fries and root beer served in a frosted mug by car hops. The second generation, Jed and Mary Mulherin, ran the Snack Bar and operated the DQ from 1966 to 1987.
The Mansfield franchise grew in 1987 when third generation Mike and Stephanie Mulherin built the second location on Ashland Road at the same time that siblings Pat and Maureen Mulherin took over operations of the original store. Pat and his wife, Jana, operated the Glessner Avenue location for over 30 years and in 2020 passed on the baton. The fourth generation, Joe Mulherin and his wife Angela, look forward to continuing the legacy with their children. The Mansfield locations now make up part of the 7,000+ Dairy Queens operating in 20 countries.
“We’re grateful for the people of Richland County who have supported us over the past 75 years,” said Joe Mulherin. “Whether you have childhood memories of coming to the DQ after a baseball victory or held your first job here, we love hearing people’s stories and are proud to play a small part in bringing joy to our hometown.”
As a proud community partner, Mansfield Dairy Queens was selected as a finalist for Small Business of the Year from the Richland Area Chamber and recently participated in the West End Neighborhood Development project resulting in a new outdoor patio for the public to enjoy on Glessner Avenue.
The community is invited to a celebration on Saturday, June 24th at both the Glessner Avenue and Ashland Road locations. They will be raffling off a bunch of DQ swag and gift certificates, and a Grand Prize winner will get 6 months of DQ treats! They will also have several 75th Anniversary specials including 75 cent Dilly Bars & DQ Sandwiches, 75 cents off all Sundaes, and 75 cents off all Royal Treats (Banana Splits, Peanut Buster Parfaits, Pecan Mudslides, S’more Galore Parfaits, and more). And from 12:00-2:00 only, we’re giving away hot dogs and chips!
Mansfield Dairy Queens share a big “Thank you” to Richland County residents for your support over the past 75 years!
Source, Photos: Mansfield Dairy Queens
