A&W vs. Dairy Queen

Quest for the Best Podcast

A&W vs. Dairy Queen

1×

0:00

-53:18

A&W vs. Dairy Queen

Join us as we find out which is better, Dairy Queen or A&W.

Amy Hummel

Oct 14, 2022

Today we continue along our burger joint journey. On our last burger episode we battled Culver’s and Freddy’s, with Culver’s coming out on top. Today we battle A&W vs. Dairy Queen

Which menu items will we be trying?

Bacon Cheese Burgers
Fries
Cheese Curds
Chicken strips
Chili Dogs

Who is joining this burger battle?

Nate, likes it squeaky.
Kris, can’t let it slide.
Matt, likes his dogs as cows.
Amy, does her own stunts.

And of course, thanks to our subscribers who are helping us build this small but excellent podcast! We appreciate the support!

Donate Here!

The History of A&W

It all started on June 20th, 1919, on the side of the road, in Lodi, California. This is where Roy W. Allen opened his first Root Beer stand during a city-wide party celebrating the homecoming of local World War I heroes. Allen had purchased the secret recipe for his root beer from a pharmacist and turned a profit by selling the frosty beverage for a nickel.

In 1922, Allen partnered with former Lodi employee Frank Wright, leasing their first two Root Beer stands to other operators so they could expand into Sacramento. And with this partnership and expansion, they named their business A&W. A for Allen, W for Wright. And in 1925 Allen began to sell franchises, thus establishing the first ever franchise restaurant chain in America.

In the 1950s, the business really got going, with nearly 450 operating A&Ws. At this time, Allen sold the entire operation to the A&W Root Beer company and in 1956, A&W went international, opening it’s first restaurant in 1956.

Being the oldest restaurant chain in America is quite the feat. But maybe even more impressive, A&W introduced the world to Bacon Cheeseburgers. Dale Mulder, chairman of A&W restaurants, opened an A&W in Lansing, Michigan in 1961. One day, he decided to add bacon to a cheeseburger, forever changing the fast food industry. Of course, now you can get bacon on pretty much anything, but it all started with Dale Mulder and A&W.

Another feat? They were the first ever Drive-In in California, which opened in Sacramento in 1923.

And let’s not forget about the star of the show… the Root Beer. Most A&Ws make their own root beer on-site, using a paddle-stirred brewing kettle to whip up this frosty, creamy beverage in-house. And speaking of this delicious Root Beer, in 1999, Lodi, California franchise Pete Knight took it upon himself to make the largest root beer float in the world. He scored the Guinness World Record with his 2,562.5 gallons of root beer and 400 gallons of ice cream.

And that is not the only world record they have. They also have the record for the world’s longest hashtag. (super tasty large and in charge texas toast two handwich made with delicious one hundred percent white meat and breaded chicken tenders and your choice of classic or spicy papa sauce either way you can’t go wrong wow that sounds good you need to try one its only available for a limited time i'm going to have to go get one myself are you still reading this see you at A&W.

Some other notable dates…

1971 A&W root beer became available in bottles and cans
Their on and off again mascot was born, Rooty the Great Root Bear
By 2017 there were approximately 1000 restaurants in the United States.

The History of Dairy Queen

In 1938 inventors J.F. McCullough and his son Alex invented the game changer, soft serve ice cream. The duo convinced Sherb Noble, an ice cream man in Kankakee, Illinois, to sell it at his shop, where it became an immediate hit. Two years later, on June 22, 1940, Nobel and the McCulloughs opened the first Dairy Queen in Joliet, Illinois. The menu at the first DQ included 5 cent soft-serve cones, 8 cent sundaes, and ice cream by the pint and quart. And if you bought a second cone, it was only 1 cent.

Soon after the opening of the first store, investors began operating on a franchise model and DQ expanded across the country. They went from 10 stores in 1940 to 1,446 stores by the end of 1950. In the late 50s the chain began expanding its menu to include hot dogs, burgers, and other hot foods.

The Dilly Bar debuted in 1954 in Moorhead, Minnesota - one of the oldest locations still in operation. The story goes, an employee trainer put a dollop of ice cream on a piece of cardboard, stuck a stick in it and said, “Ain’t that a Dilly!” And a year later, the new treat expanded nationwide.

Some other notable dates include:

1949: Mats and shakes debut
1951: Banana Splits
1955: The Dilly Bar debuts
1957: Dairy Queen Brazier is introduced
1968: The Buster Bar is introduced
1971: Peanut Buster Parfait
1985: Blizzards are introduced. The Blizzard was a huge hit and sold over 175 million in the first year.
1995: Treatzza Pizza and Chicken Strip Basket debut

Today International Dairy Queen Inc. (IDQ) is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is the parent company of American Dairy Queen Corporation and Dairy Queen Canada, Inc. IDQ has over 7,000 locations in the United States, Canada, and more than 20 other countries.

The Results

**SPOILER ALERT!**

Listen to the episode first if you do not want the results revealed to you yet!

French Fries

A&W French Fries.

Nate: “It is a chewy fry, kind of steak fry like.”
Amy: “I’m getting Long John Silver vibes.”
Kris: “Give me all the fry meat.”
Matt: “It’s alright.”

Dairy Queen French Fries

Nate: “It’s a nice embrace of my lips.”
Amy: “Nice amount of salt and the potato taste comes through nicely.”
Kris: “Solid French fry.”
Matt: “These have a better texture and flavor.”

WINNER: Dairy Queen

Coney Dog vs. Chili Dog

A&W Coney Dog:

Nate: “It’s wet and sloppy.”
Amy: “I thought they would be good at these, but they aren’t.”
Kris: “It’s so far away from what a chili dog should be.”
Matt: “It looks more like a sauce.”

Dairy Queen Chili Dog.

Nate: “It looked good and tasted better.”
Amy: “This chili has more substance to it.”
Kris: “It tastes like a chili you would actually make.”
Matt: “Dairy Queen.”

WINNER: Dairy Queen

Cheese Curds

A&W Cheese Curd:

Nate: “I enjoy the squeakiness.”
Amy: “The cheese is like a rubber ball.”
Kris: “I like the little bit of grease taste.”
Matt: “It was fine.”

Dairy Queen Cheese Curd:

Nate: “The cheese wasn’t as high of quality that I want.”
Amy: “It has a nice smell to it.”
Kris: “I’m not sure how to feel about the cheese in this one.”
Matt: “I liked the flavor profile.”

WINNER: TIE!

Chicken Strips

A&W Chicken Strips

Nate: “It is moist and juicy.”
Amy: “It is juicy and thick.”
Kris: “That is juicy.”
Matt: “I like having more chicken and flavor.”

Dairy Queen Chicken Strips.

Nate: “The chicken strip to batter ratio is not great.”
Amy: “DQ has a peppery batter.”
Kris: “The gravy makes the chicken strip so much better.”
Matt: “This just isn’t as good.”

WINNER: A&W

Bacon Cheese Burger

A&W Bacon Cheese Burger

Nate: “It’s very wet.”
Amy: “It’s a very gristly meat.”
Kris: “The toppings were either too strong or not enough.”
Matt: “The best part was the pickle.”

Dairy Queen Bacon Cheese Burger.

Nate: “That is a thick patty.”
Amy: “This has higher quality ingredients all around.”
Kris: “The bacon is very over-powering but it’s what I am looking for.”
Matt: “Clear winner.”

WINNER: Dairy Queen

There you have it. After trying 5 different menu items from A&W and Dairy Queen, we give Dairy Queen the Quest for the Best seal of approval. Check out their website to find a location near you.

https://www.dairyqueen.com/en-us/

Thank you for joining us on this exclusive episode of Quest for the Best. Let us know what you thought. Have you tried these menu items? Which one was your favorite? Which restaurant is your favorite?

Also, do you have any foods you would love to get the coveted seal of approval? Let us know in the comments what you want to hear next.