ITHACA, N.Y. — Dairy Queen is making a comeback in Ithaca with a new Grill and Chill restaurant set to open soon at 407 Elmira Road, the site formerly occupied by Tim Horton’s and Cold Stone Creamery.
The building, originally designed for those two chains, has been vacant since Tim Horton’s closed the location in 2015 after a short four-year run. The new Dairy Queen will feature a drive-thru and a small outdoor seating area, catering to both quick service and dine-in customers.
The property was purchased in January 2016 by the Patel family of Corning, who operate a chain of about 70 hotels across New York and Pennsylvania. The Patels have been working on the Dairy Queen proposal for several years, securing a $1 million construction loan from Chemung Canal Trust Company to fund renovations, with approximately $766,000 allocated for the building’s update.
The new location is nearly complete, with interior furniture installation and finishing touches underway. Electronic menu boards are already operational, and the franchise is currently hiring staff, with Arun “Andy” Patel listed as the manager of the franchisee LLC.
Dairy Queen previously had a presence in Ithaca at the site now occupied by Pudgie’s Pizza on Old Elmira Road, where the building still retains the classic Dairy Queen red mansard roof design.
This new Ithaca location is part of Dairy Queen’s broader expansion across Upstate New York, where the chain has grown to 38 locations statewide, including recent openings in Big Flats, suburban Syracuse, and Rochester. Nationwide, Dairy Queen operates approximately 4,500 stores.
No official opening date has been announced, but the new Dairy Queen Grill and Chill is expected to open soon, bringing the brand’s signature soft serve and fast food offerings back to the Ithaca community.