Assignment 4: Megan

Evolving commercial vernaculars are clearly seen in the variety of fast food restaurants like Dairy Queen that exist today. The exterior of this early Dairy Queen location is marked by its red mansard roof, typical of many fast food restaurants of the same era. The building’s novelty is also characterized by the Dairy Queen mascot on the colorful weathervane and neon lights in the windows (not seen on modern locations). As Langdon describes, the architectural appeal of chain restaurants like Hardees, McDonald’s, and similar establishments like Dairy Queen came from their weighty shape, sign, and close setback from the street which makes these buildings stand out to cars passing by. Clearly this was the intent of the older Dairy Queen design, but for today’s consumers, this design does not evoke the same pleasing architectural quality as contemporary Dairy Queen branches do. On its interior, the building is very simplistic and representative of the 1960s or 1970s. Customers are limited to sitting at wooden tables with plank benches bolted to the dark tile floor. Bright red and blue paint accentuate the walls and abandon all subtlety. In its use today, this location appears to function primarily as a drive-thru, while its indoor seating remains relatively vacant of customers. One can imagine the original appeal of this design for motorists looking for an evening snack, but its design and novelty have been replaced by a sleeker, modern, plusher version of the restaurant.

This twenty-first Dairy Queen location reflects consumers shift from flashy, novelty fast food building construction to a more natural, sophisticated façade and plush dining experience. Unlike its older version, this building has a brick and stone exterior and has significantly downplayed its mansard roof and made the structure crisper, cleaner, and more rectangular. The stone walls, for example, just interrupt the roofline and make the building less eye-catching than the original tall, red rood. Even the Dairy Queen name has been reinvented and is now presented as Dairy Queen: Grill and Chill, which sounds more like a higher class restaurant. The interior of the building has also been upgraded from its predecessor and offers bigger formica table tops and padded faux leather seats and fabric back rests in neutral colors. Above many tables, like the corner table featured above, are pictures which remember the earlier architecture of Dairy Queen. These pictures are proud reminders of the restaurant’s long history and give consumers the feeling that Dairy Queen is a quality, evolving chain that has responded to American consumers’ modern demands for greater luxury, even in their fast food restaurants.