12 Things You Might Want To Think Twice About Ordering At Dairy Queen, According To Reviews

With over 7,000 locations across more than 20 countries, there's no doubt that Dairy Queen is one of the biggest franchises in the world. The company has become famous for sweet treats like its iconic Blizzard, which consists of various ice cream flavors blended with other toppings, like Reese's peanut butter cups, gooey caramel, and pecans. Dairy Queen also offers other classic treats such as chocolate-dipped waffle cones, ice cream sundaes, and banana splits. Although the company is primarily known for its desserts, some might be surprised to learn that Dairy Queen's menu includes a lot more than just ice cream.

Dairy Queen's menu also offers grilled items like hot dogs and cheeseburgers, along with a breakfast menu that includes an assortment of breakfast sandwiches, pancakes, hash browns, and more. Keep in mind that like many other fast-food chains, Dairy Queen's menu tends to vary between locations.

With so much to choose from on the menu, you might find yourself wondering which items to steer clear of. The good news is that we're here to help shed some light on that. We've combed through reviews and found patterns of complaints that are worth considering. Here are 12 things you might want to think twice about ordering at Dairy Queen.

Hot dogs probably aren't one of the first things that comes to mind when you think about eating at Dairy Queen. As it turns out, there seems to be a good reason for that.

One of the things we've noticed among Dairy Queen reviews at several different locations is that the company's hot dog is often less than stellar. What makes this particularly confounding is the fact that hot dogs are so easy to cook. All it really takes is a few rolls on the grill until it's nice and hot. Yet several customers at Dairy Queen echo the same problems with the company's hot dogs. Many say the hot dogs taste gummy, as if they've been overcooked in the microwave. Others reveal disturbing discolorations that look more like a rotting appendage than something fit for consumption. If you're in the mood for a hot dog, it might be best to just whip one up at home yourself, or go elsewhere.

When made correctly with fresh ingredients, banana splits are delicious. The banana's yellow fruit deliciously pairs with scoops of ice cream, drizzles of chocolate syrup, whipped cream, and maraschino cherries. The problem is that the quality of a banana split is almost entirely dependent upon the quality of the banana itself. If an old browned banana is used instead of a fresh yellow one, the dessert is ruined, because old bananas have a mushy texture along with a sour, bitter taste. Some customers at Dairy Queen have had the unfortunate distinction of being the recipients of such a deplorable dish.

What makes this extra tricky is the fact that the banana tends to get covered up in ice cream and other toppings, which can make it difficult to notice right away. At first glance, everything might look just fine, since the old banana is barely visible underneath all the ice cream. But no amount of ice cream can mask the unmistakable flavor of a spoiled banana, which is bound to leave customers disappointed. Rather than rolling the dice and crossing your fingers for fresh fruit, it might be best to just skip the Banana Split altogether at Dairy Queen.

A recurring theme here is that Dairy Queen isn't exactly considered a master of the grill. Yet the company's menu has a few different cheeseburger options, prompting customers to test Dairy Queen's prowess with a spatula. At several locations, many reviewers have noted that Dairy Queen's Cheeseburgers are haphazardly slapped together with a seemingly willful disdain for proper assembly. Is this the result of busy workers, poor training, or just a nihilistic embrace of total chaos?

Beyond the sloppy assembly, the customers have also complained about dry burger patties, bacon burned to a crisp, and puny shreds of soggy lettuce. Admittedly, lettuce is one of those burger toppings that's hard to keep crispy. But judging by the pictures we've seen, the lettuce in question looks like it was wilted long before it ever hit the bun. All things considered, the bottom line is that Dairy Queen's burgers don't appear to be worth it. You'll probably have better luck at another fast food restaurant that specializes in burgers, rather than a place like Dairy Queen that's more known for dessert.

You'd expect a place that's famous for its ice cream to nail its shakes. After all, milkshakes are mostly made of ice cream. But there's an important distinction to be made between ice cream and milkshakes, and it all comes down to texture.

Milkshakes should be thin enough to sip through a straw. When milkshakes aren't made with enough milk to thin out the ice cream, they can be far too thick, resulting in something that's not really drinkable. Because the whole point of a milkshake is to be able to easily sip it, a poorly made milkshake will probably need to be eaten with a spoon — but at that point, it's basically just a cup of ice cream. Of course, you can always wait for it to melt down and eventually thin out, but the true pleasure of a milkshake is the instant gratification that it provides. According to some unhappy customers, Dairy Queen's Shakes can be a bit too thick, rendering the straw practically useless.

Another issue is the fact that sometimes additional ingredients — like Oreo cookies — aren't blended enough. This results in chunky cookie clumps that sink to the bottom of the milkshake which are impossible to pass through the straw. The quality of a shake is dependent upon texture, and that seems to be something Dairy Queen struggles with.

If Dairy Queen fumbles hot dogs and hamburgers, it's safe to assume that its Grilled Chicken Sandwich is equally questionable. To be fair, finding a good grilled chicken sandwich at a big fast food chain is challenging. Fried chicken sandwiches tend to be more forgiving since they just need to be dropped in a fryer basket and cooked until crispy. It's also much easier to achieve a satisfying textural contrast with fried chicken sandwiches since the outside is crunchy. But grilled chicken sandwiches require some real finesse on the grill. The chicken needs to be cooked all the way through, but it also shouldn't be overcooked, since overcooking will result in tough, chewy chicken.

A pattern we've noticed across Dairy Queen locations is that customers are often served overcooked Grilled Chicken Sandwiches. Some customers have suggested that the grilled chicken tastes like it was precooked, and then reheated, resulting in chicken that's tough as leather. In fact, the grilled chicken is so overcooked that some customers have thrown it away, considering it inedible. To make matters worse, the chicken itself seems like it comes in very small portions. Even if it were properly cooked, it probably wouldn't be very filling.

All is forgiven if you were completely unaware that Dairy Queen serves breakfast. Truth be told, the company's breakfast availability varies by location. It also seems almost unnatural to associate a place famous for its ice cream with breakfast. Yet Dairy Queen's breakfast menu is surprisingly extensive. Pancake platters, bacon, hash browns, donuts, and biscuit sandwiches are just a few of the options on the table at Dairy Queen. Some locations have even been known to serve Biscuits with Sausage Gravy. The main problem here is that Dairy Queen's breakfast sausage isn't exactly up to snuff.

A common complaint is that Dairy Queen's breakfast sausage, used in its Biscuits with Sausage Gravy, is dry. We're not exactly sure if this is a result of the sausage being overcooked or if the sausage mix is just too lean — or possibly an unappetizing combination of both. What's also a bit strange is how the company chops up the sausage and dumps it on top of its biscuits and gravy, rather than taking a minute to mix it in. This may seem like a minor detail, but mixing the sausage into the gravy would give the sausage a chance to soak it up, which could potentially rehydrate the sausage and make it a little juicier.

The quality of French fries can vastly differ between fast food restaurants. The thickness of the fries, the consistency of the potato inside, the level of crispiness, along with the amount of seasoning, are just a few of the variables at play. Whenever we order fries, our expectations are pretty simple. We're just hoping for some crispiness on the outside, creamy potato on the inside, and a touch of salt for flavor. From what we've gathered in customer reviews, the fries at Dairy Queen are pretty hit or miss.

While some customers seem pleased with the fries, others report sogginess. This could be due to the fries not being fried long enough to get crispy, or it could also be due to the fryer oil not being quite hot enough. This issue may not be as egregious as some of the other problems we've seen, but at the end of the day, there's no denying that soggy fries are a bummer.

Dairy Queen serves a Chicken Strip Basket that is available as a four-piece or a six-piece. The Chicken Strips are made with all white meat chicken and a seasoned breading. The basket comes with fries, Texas toast, and a dipping sauce. The company's choice to pair its chicken tenders with both toast and fries seems a bit strange, but what really matters here is the quality of the tenders themselves. The consensus seems to be that Dairy Queen's Chicken Strips fall short in more ways than one.

Diners have reported that the company's chicken tenders are dry. To make matters worse, the strips are also poorly tossed in sauce. This leaves some of the chicken pieces totally un-sauced, and others only partially coated. If you're in the mood for fried chicken, it's probably a better idea to head somewhere else that cooks fried chicken on a regular basis.

The bar for what constitutes a decent slushie feels fairly low. All we're looking for here is something sweet, icy, and flavorful. But above all, what's most important here is that the slushie is still somewhat frozen. The slushy should essentially be crushed ice with some flavored syrup mixed in, and for the slushie to stay frozen, it needs to be cold enough. Yet it seems that Dairy Queen's Misty Slush is often served already melted, leaving customers with a sad cup full of sweetened liquid.

It's nice that Dairy Queen offers different flavors like cherry, mango, lemon-lime, blue raspberry, and strawberry kiwi. But those flavors can't be properly enjoyed if they're not icy. We're not entirely sure if this is due to not enough ice being mixed into the drink at the store or if the drinks are taking too long to reach the customers. The bottom line is that if you're in the mood for a decent slushie, you might be better off heading to a local convenience store.

Some of you might be wondering about the differences between cheese curds and cheese sticks. Cheese curds and cheese sticks certainly share some similarities, considering that both of them are breaded and fried cheese. But there are some important differences between them, such as the type of cheese inside and the breading on the outside.

Cheese sticks are commonly made with mozzarella. Cheese curds are usually made with little nuggets of baby cheddar cheese, which is a bit milder and has a squeakiness to it (due to the cheese's calcium and protein making contact with your tooth enamel). The breading on cheese curds also tends to be more plain, while the breading on mozzarella sticks tends to be more seasoned with herbs and spices.

The issue here is that sometimes the cheese curds aren't fried long enough, which causes them to soak up the fryer oil. This leaves the cheese curds with an oily taste that can overpower the cheese itself. Of course, this may not be an issue for every batch, but it's something to be aware of. Perhaps asking for your cheese curds extra crispy might prevent this from happening.

Strawberry cheesecake is a popular flavor that's common in the world of desserts. When the sweet taste of strawberries combines with the creamy and slightly tangy flavor of cheesecake, it's truly delicious. Of course, this is just a basic flavor profile and there are countless variations of it, depending on the brand or restaurant. Some strawberry cheesecake flavors might be heavier on the strawberries, while others are heavier with the cheesecake. The ideal mix strikes a perfect balance between the two. According to some customers at Dairy Queen, the company's Blizzard Treat (in the Strawberry Cheesecake flavor) tastes like plain strawberry ice cream.

If you're understandably expecting a prominent cheesecake flavor, the Strawberry Cheesecake Blizzard Treat doesn't seem to be your best bet. However, you may want to consider ordering the Royal New York Cheesecake Blizzard instead. This Blizzard is made with cheesecake pieces graham crackers blended with soft serve, then it's filled with a strawberry topping. The flavors you're craving in the Strawberry Cheesecake Blizzard Treat may be more vibrant and distinctive in the company's Royal New York Cheesecake Blizzard Treat.

Dairy Queen isn't the kind of place we'd typically order a salad. Generally speaking, a fast food chain that's largely known for desserts probably doesn't consistently have the freshest produce. Customers tend to confirm this suspicion, reporting wilted, soggy lettuce in the salads at Dairy Queen.

The company sells a salad with crispy chicken strips and also a side salad that has lettuce, diced tomatoes, and croutons. Because lettuce is the backbone of the salad, the quality of the salad rests on the lettuce. And while it's true that some customers have reported decent salads here, others have been served questionable lettuce, creating a lot of inconsistency. If you find yourself at a Dairy Queen looking for healthy options, it's probably tempting to opt for a salad. It might be worth asking how fresh the salads are — or possibly going to another restaurant that has a much wider variety of healthier menu options.

We determined the menu items for this list through a mix of our own experiences at Dairy Queen, customer reviews on Yelp, and food channel reviews on YouTube. While evaluating other reviews, we noted menu items that received similar comments from different customers across locations.