Seeking a modern new look, the Fulton Dairy Queen is engaged in a remodeling project to keep the facilities up to date.
Owner Shawn Edgar was supervising part of the remodel Tuesday afternoon when Glove Con installed an electronic reader board to replace the eatery's old-style marquee, which required Edgar and other employees to change the message using a ladder and letters.
"It's time for this thing to get a face lift," Edgar said. "It was built in 1997, so it hasn't been touched for 18 years."
The company requires every Dairy Queen to undergo a remodel every 10 years to keep in line with a "modernization clause" which makes sure every franchise remains modern, Edgar said. In older contracts such a clause didn't exist so "mom and pop" styled establishments weren't required to keep the stores updated, which upset some owners when the company decided to put in the clause to unify the franchises, he added.
Edgar's store wouldn't be required to update its facilities until the end of 2017, but he was interested in getting a jump start so that they would be reimbursed for their investment sooner rather than later. The idea was to also keep efficiency costs down as the store's sign anchor was pulling out of the wall where rain water would get trapped during a storm - Edgar could have redone the siding now and replace the signs at a later date, but that ultimately would have required him to spend more money.
"We needed something fixed so we're spending the money now," Edgar said. "Every time you invest there's an increase in sales and you'll get that money back."
Aside from putting in the new electronic sign in front of the store, Edgar is also adding a stone-wall chimney on the patio, adding a fence to the patio perimeter, installing new seats within the store, new registers and adding signs and awnings to the outside. Edgar expects the remodel will be complete by the end of October and plans to stay open through the remodel - he plans to remodel the inside area over night so the store doesn't lose business.
"This wouldn't be possible without the support of the community," Edgar said. "It may look like we're closed, but we want customers to come in, see what's going on and enjoy the process."