Ribbon-cutting celebrating new ownership and re-opening of Dairy Queen of Cary
On Friday, Oct. 14, the Cary-Grove Area Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the new ownership and re-opening of Dairy Queen of Cary, 140 Crystal St.
Rafael Castaneda journey to owning the Dairy Queen of Cary started for him as a teenager. Castaneda started working at the Woodstock Dairy Queen back in 2006 as a 15-year-old wanting to make some extra money after school.
"The Woodstock location is very busy, and I enjoyed working in a fast-paced environment where you didn't feel the clock ticking," says Cataneda, "My team and management were amazing, so I kept coming back season after season."
After working at the Woodstock Dairy Queen for about 7 seasons, Castaneda moved to Chicago to pursue his career and educational goals. He received his undergraduate degree from Roosevelt University in social justice and Spanish.
While working full time at Alzheimer's Association, he went back to school to receive his graduate degree in business from DePaul University in Chicago. Soon after, he learned that the Woodstock Dairy Queen location owners were ready to retire and looking to sell the business. After many meetings, appointments, phone calls, research and more research and with the help and support of his family, Castaneda was successfully able to take ownership of the Woodstock Dairy Queen to continue the DQ legacy in the Woodstock community.
When the Dairy Queen is Cary became available, Castaneda saw the potential in the Dairy Queen of Cary location. "I really like the location, it's right in the heart of Cary," says Castaneda, "With excellent customer service and some work I know we can grow our fanbase to its full potential in Cary in the near future."
Dairy Queen of Cary offers all the DQ favorites, including Blizzards, Peanut Buster Parfait, malts, shakes, and dip cones, plus DQ signature fudge and crunch cakes. They will be open during the month of November, Thursday - Sunday, 2 p.m. - 8 p.m. They will take time during the winter to make updates to the location to be ready for a March, 2023 full opening.
# # # #
The Cary-Grove Area Chamber of Commerce is a business organization of over 540 local business members and professionals, community and non-profit groups and area leaders dedicated to a prosperous local economy and a high quality of life for area residents. The Chamber provides programs and resources to help local businesses succeed and coordinates community events such as Cary Cruise Nights, Halloween Walks and Merry Cary Holiday Parade and Festival. The Cary-Grove Chamber is located at 210 Crystal St., Ste. A, in Cary and has a full business resource center for community residents and local businesses.