MANILA, Philippines - When I was younger, vacations in Manila always involved a trip to the Dairy Queen outlet in SM Megamall. Almost like a pilgrimage of sorts. There my siblings and I would enjoy frosty treats like ice cream sandwiches, banana splits and, of course, Dairy Queen’s world-famous Blizzards. When the attendant manning the soft-serve machine would turn the cups upside down before serving them, I always hoped that the contents would spill out. That would mean a free Blizzard, after all. It never happened, and I don’t think it ever will.
Dairy Queen has retained this unique way of serving their Blizzards to show that customers are getting no less than truly thick and rich ice cream.
So, did you know that Dairy Queen has been inverting Blizzard cups for 25 years now?
Last month, the Blizzard turned 25 all over the world. In the Philippines, Blizzard lovers can now enjoy 25 flavors, including 10 new varieties to choose from. These are Chocolate Oreo, Strawberry Oreo, Mocha Oreo, Strawberry KitKat, Mocha KitKat, Double Chocolate Truffle, Caramel Marshmallow, Double Dutch, White Truffle, and the uniquely Pinoy Ube Macapuno.
This is the first time that Dairy Queen is offering these 25 flavors worldwide. Furthermore, the recently opened Ali Mall branch of Dairy Queen is the 500th Dairy Queen outlet in the world, which puts Manila (Quezon City, to be more precise) on the historical map of the Dairy Queen brand. Opening the 500th Dairy Queen branch while celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Blizzard in the same metropolis is reason enough for all Dairy Queen fans to celebrate.
To give loyal patrons more reasons to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Blizzard with them, Dairy Queen came up with the Blizzard Frequency Card. A customer’s card gets a stamp for every purchase of any Blizzard flavor. After accumulating four stamps, a 25 percent discount is taken off on their 4th Blizzard purchase.
Also, 25 loyal Blizzard patrons celebrating their birthdays in April were invited, along with their select guests, to an exclusive birthday party at Dairy Queen in Ali Mall. No less than Iron Tip Cake Decorating Challenge winner Jose Castillo prepared 25 personalized birthday Blizzard ice cream cakes for the celebrants. Party fun, food, and favors were taken care of by Dairy Queen.
Like me, maybe you weren’t aware that Blizzard ice cream treats have been around for so long. I actually thought they were still relatively new. Dairy Queen has been taking the right step in keeping this one-of-a-kind product fresh in the ever-changing, fast paced world of frozen delights. But let me point something that I’m sure all of you have noticed lately: the heat in this season of El Niño has been unreal, even quite unmerciful. It is literally not cool. Still, when you order a Blizzard, no matter how hot it is, it’ll still be served to you upside down and nothing’s going to spill out.
It’s been like that for 25 years, and that’s pretty cool.
* * *
For the latest updates, visit the Dairy Queen branch nearest to you or log onto their website at www.dairyqueen.com.ph.
* * *
E-mail me at enricomiguelsubido@gmail.com.