GOOSE CREEK, S.C.—If you’ve traveled along Highway 52 in Goose Creek lately, you’ve probably noticed the construction taking place where the old Japanese restaurant, Tenichi Steak House, once stood.
In late September, the building was knocked down to make way for the area’s first stand alone Dairy Queen. To say people are excited about it is an understatement, according to owner Brad Walker.
“When we were putting the sign up that reads ‘coming soon,’ people were honking their horns at us, saying ‘It’s about time,’ so we’re thrilled to be here,” stated Walker.
Walker says it took him two years to find the perfect location and decided to build the restaurant on the site of the old Japanese restaurant after falling in love with its visibility to the road and central location to everything else.
“I spent the last two years traveling to the Charleston market and looking at different locations, and the very first place I went to was Goose Creek due to the amount of growth the city is experiencing. Also, the demographics fits us very well,” said Walker, who made the move to Mount Pleasant from Akron, Ohio about a year ago. “Also, look
what’s happening with the school system. It’s just exploding. That’s why we chose the area we did.”
Walker comes to the lowcountry from the Midwest where he co-owned 30 Dairy Queens throughout the region. After selling out of his partnership, Walker says he decided to move down south and focus on opening Dairy Queens throughout the tri-county.
“There were some Dairy Queens here a long time ago—there’s still a couple. There’s one in the mall, but it’s just serves ice cream. It’s not a grill and chill store,” stated Walker.
According to Walker, he expects to hire approximately 60 people to work at the Goose Creek location.
“At the end of November, we’ll start interviewing,” stated Walker.
The Dairy Queen in Goose Creek is only the beginning. Walker says he has plans to build other Dairy Queens throughout the lowcountry, too.
“We are currently working on restaurant number two in West Ashley. We’re also looking at Summerville. We’re looking at Mount Pleasant. We plan to build several Dairy Queens in North Charleston,” Walker said. “A lot of people think of Dairy Queen as just treats, but we’re actually a very big player in the quick service restaurant.”
To learn more about Dairy Queen, click here.
