What Time Does Dairy Queen Start Serving Lunch?

It can be frustrating showing up to a restaurant too early for lunchtime food to be served, especially if you don't have the luxury of sitting and waiting for the menu changeover. Many places that serve both breakfast and lunch foods will reserve kitchen space for breakfast food preparation until a certain hour of the day, then switch the focus to lunch. But if you have an early breakfast and want to follow it up with an early lunch — or just find yourself craving chicken strips at 10 a.m. — you may be stuck waiting to grab a bite at a fast-food restaurant.

Dairy Queen has over 7,000 locations across the world. Gravy Analytics reports that it is the fourth most popular ice cream chain in United States, and one of the largest ice cream chains in the world. The chain's breakfast hours begin at 7:00 a.m., according to Open Hours, and its locations serve biscuit sandwiches and pancakes until 10:30 (via Dairy Queen). After that, customers can begin to order lunchtime food.

According to Open Hours, Dairy Queen's lunch hours vary by location. At most, lunch begins being served as early as 10:30 a.m. during the week, and 11:00 a.m. on the weekends. If you find yourself craving a bacon cheeseburger or chicken strips before that time, the site notes that some participating locations outside of Texas will serve up the Meal Deals during all business hours – just be sure to call and check with your local Dairy Queen before ordering.

Though Dairy Queen might be best known for its ice cream creations, the chain also has an extensive lunchtime menu, according to its website. It sells burgers, chicken sandwiches, hot dogs, and salads. And if you want something a little smaller as a snack, the chain sells french fries, cheese curds, onion rings, and pretzel sticks. Some of these foods can even be enjoyed as part of Dairy Queen's Meal Deals, which include a sundae on the side for a sweet treat to finish the meal.

The first Dairy Queen location opened back in 1940, in Joliet, Illinois (via Dairy Queen). The original location was along Route 66 and its menu offered sundaes and soft serve ice cream in a cone, pint, or quart container, according to Taste of Home.

The Dairy Queen menu of today includes the classics — soft serve ice cream in cups or cones, and sundaes with numerous toppings to choose from — as well as some unique treats you can only get at Dairy Queen. Their signature Blizzard, which is ice cream mixed with toppings and syrups that have been blended into a sweet treat, has a year-round menu of fan favorites, as well as seasonal flavor options like Very Cherry Chip, Cotton Candy, and Oreo Hot Cocoa.

The ice cream chain also sells cakes, which can be made from Blizzard flavors or a classic chocolate and vanilla combo.