Blizzard coming? York County may see more Dairy Queen locations in near future

When Rocky Romano and business partner Brian Murray were scouting around the Charlotte area for a place to build their first Dairy Queen location, they didn’t have to search too hard.

Tega Cay was the ideal spot for business, they say.

“When (Brian) and his wife moved to Lake Norman a couple years ago, we were looking at places, and looked here for opportunities,” Romano said. “We really liked all the houses around here, with the Baxter Village area nearby, the schools. We thought it was kind of crazy that there wasn’t a full-size “Grill and Chill” in this area already.”

The pair took part in a ribbon-cutting Friday morning with the York County Chamber of Commerce at their new location on 2524 Highway 160. The restaurant, stocked with popular fare such as Blizzard ice cream treats and GrillBurgers, will open for business Monday.

The restaurant can seat around 70 people, not including a cozy outdoor patio, as well as serve guests at a drive-through.

Romano and Murray say they’re keeping their options open for future locations, possibly in Rock Hill. They say they are studying possibilities throughout the I-485 corridor.

Romano says “there’s a need” for another Dairy Queen in Rock Hill. He said they’ll work on demographic plans to plot out a space that doesn’t conflict with the Dairy Queen location already open on Dave Lyle Boulevard.

The owner-operator said that plans for a second or third restaurant in York County could become solid within the next nine months. He called their expansion plans “pretty aggressive.”

“We want to make sure we continue to grow,” Romano said. “We want to find the best place to best serve the need in Rock Hill.”

The Tega Cay location will host its grand opening from 9 a.m. Monday. The first 100 people to buy a Blizzard cake from the store will receive a VIP card that allows the holder to get one free GrillBurger each week for a year.

This story was originally published February 17, 2017 at 5:18 PM with the headline "Blizzard coming? York County may see more Dairy Queen locations in near future."