The Inside Scoop on the Division Street Dairy Queen

“You scream, I scream, we all scream for ice cream,” seems to be accurate in the case of the former Dairy Queen across the street from Franklin, at least if the screams are out of frustration. The building at 5605 SE Division St. dished out Dairy Queen’s classic soft serve to countless Portlanders before it was demolished in 2018, and since then the community has been waiting to see progress on its rebuild. 

In a 2019 Oregonian poll, readers voted it the second most popular Dairy Queen in the Portland area, likely due to its widely accessible location. Being situated across the street from both Atkinson and Franklin meant customers ranged from elementary schoolers paying with lemonade stand profits to high schoolers rushing over on their lunch break. With no indoor seating, these customers were always visible, crowded around the bright red tables come rain or shine. The 55th and Division Dairy Queen wasn’t just a spot to grab a bite, it was a community gathering space. Youth soccer teams visited to celebrate tournament wins, retirees strolled over to celebrate anniversaries, and countless first dates were held there, so the demolition in 2018 hit the community hard. 

The one silver lining was the fact that the Dairy Queen was going to be rebuilt. Unfortunately, the plans were plagued by a series of issues that postponed construction, leaving the lot as nothing more than a garden of weeds. Fred Braden, the executive director of Dairy Queen of the Pacific Northwest, describes, “Portland is not an easy place to do business and permitting is rather slow.” He adds, “We had some missteps along the way that caused us to change architects.” 

As multiple classes have filtered through Franklin’s halls and onto the graduation stage, the Dairy Queen feels all but forgotten. The empty lot stands, a nondescript eyesore for most and a reminder of what once was, for those old enough to remember. A current Franklin sophomore recalls, “In middle school I thought that I would want to go get ice cream with my friends … and that the high schoolers were so lucky to have the Dairy Queen right next to the school.” Lucky for her, her dreams will soon come true as the younger generation will have a Dairy Queen of their own. 

Braden explains, “We were granted permits to rebuild at the beginning of this year.” Since then, Dairy Queen of the Pacific Northwest, the franchisor for the Division Dairy Queen, submitted what Braden describes as “significant but not structural” modifications to the approved plans. The City of Portland asked them to clarify their intent with these modifications, which has delayed beginning construction. Dairy Queen of the Pacific Northwest’s architects are currently working to respond to around 90 of these comments from the city. Braden states, “We are hopeful to begin construction early next year.” The City of Portland did not respond to requests for comment.

The vision for the new building is a two-floor diner with indoor seating. This “grill and chill” style building has become popular in recent years and similar Dairy Queen locations exist all around Oregon. The first one was built in Chattanooga, Tennessee in 2001, according to the Dairy Queen Franchising website. The old Dairy Queen’s limited seating could be frustrating, but the proposed Dairy Queen seems as though it will be able to serve many more sit-down customers, generating excitement among locals. As the anonymous sophomore puts it, “Everybody would love to go get ice cream,” and it seems as though they will soon be able to. Hopefully, then they’ll be screaming with joy, through a mouthful of soft serve of course.