The Dairy Queen on 12th Avenue NW in Ardmore has closed for good after operating in the city for nearly six years. The franchise's owners, LG2 Restaurant Group, are based out of Tyler, Texas, and felt the location was simply too far from their home base to keep running.
According to kxii.com, the current owners say the building will remain a restaurant going forward, even though this particular Dairy Queen has served its last Blizzard. The station also reported that the owners of the building are selling it, while KTEN reported that the property was sold to new owners — an apparent discrepancy in how far along that transaction actually is.
Ardmore Assistant Community Development Director Tim Lee said Dairy Queen told the city that the franchise owners are retiring, per KTEN's reporting. Lee also said the restaurant was usually busy, which makes the sudden shutter sting a little more for regulars who grabbed a quick meal or a soft-serve cone on 12th Avenue NW.
What City Hall Knows So Far
Per city staff, new owners plan to open another restaurant at the site, though they have not yet submitted an official application, the same KTEN report notes. Before any construction can begin, a prospective operator would need to pick up a building permit and provide the city with a set of plans for review, the station's report states, after which officials would sign off and work could start.
That leaves Ardmore in a holding pattern: the Dairy Queen sign may come down, but nobody outside city staff and the new owners knows yet what's replacing it. The gap between a verbal plan and an actual permit application means there's no confirmed timeline for when the building might reopen as something new.
Residents Have Their Own Wish List
Some locals aren't shy about what they'd like to see fill the space. “Everybody wants a Red Lobster,” Lee told kxii.com, capturing a sentiment that's apparently been floating around town since word of the closure spread. Whether that particular chain has any actual interest in Ardmore remains unknown — it's simply the daydream circulating among residents for now.
The closure comes just as another fast-food name prepares to make a comeback nearby. Long John Silver's is set to return to Ardmore as part of the new Market Street phase 2 development, according to a separate kxii.com report, with construction expected to begin within the next month. The seafood chain's planned location sits next door to the now-shuttered Dairy Queen, giving that stretch of 12th Avenue NW a bit of a shakeup all at once.
A Six-Year Run Comes to an End
The Dairy Queen had operated for nearly six years, per KTEN's reporting, a relatively short run for a location that city officials described as busy. LG2 Restaurant Group's decision to step away reflects the practical math of running a franchise far from its base rather than any issue with the restaurant's performance, based on what the group told KXII.
For now, Ardmore residents are left watching the 12th Avenue NW building for signs of what comes next — whether it's a seafood chain, a new local eatery, or something else entirely once an official application finally lands on the city's desk.
