Dairy Queen Wrap Up

As September comes to a close, so does Dairy Queen month on the West Virginia Hot Dog Blog. It's been fun. I have certainly gained more evidence that Dairy Queen Code is a real phenomenon and worthy of more study on a statewide basis. According to the DQ website there are more than 50 stores in West Virginia so there is obviously a lot of work to do.

But even though I haven't proven the certainly of the DQ Code, I have learned a lot: I learned that in smaller communities it is often the DQ that has the best dogs, whereas the DQs in the larger towns and cities usually stick closer to the lackluster franchise model. I've also found that in spite of paying exorbitant franchise fees that some DQs eschew the DQ Coney Sauce in favor of real hot dog chili.

While I did make it to all of the local Charleston DQs I didn't get the chance to visit and document all the ones I wanted to. The Eleanor and Montgomery locations were just too far off the beaten path for me this month. The Teays Valley location didn't get a review, but was the neutral ground where my historic meeting with Chris James took place when I talked him into becoming the Huntington agent for W.Va. Hot Dogs. I'll leave the honor of reviewing their hot dogs to him if he chooses. I visited the Hurricane location months ago and was so disappointed by their hot dogs that I didn't even write it up. And that, as they say, is that.

But of the ones I did get to visit, Clendenin and Nitro were hands down the best, with Sissonville Road getting an honorable mention.

I look forward to getting back to the hunt and finding some new unexpected places to find hot dogs.