Dairy Queen Grill Chill - Zephyrhills

This Dairy Queen is clean and well-kept. The majority of the staff, about 95%, are friendly and do an excellent job. It tends to get crowded in the winter when part-time residents flock to Zephyrhills, but they always manage to have enough staff at this location. I also appreciate that the employees wear uniforms. Unlike some Indian-owned franchises that have unkempt staff and dirty stores with litter in the parking lots, this place stands out as a well-run establishment. You really can’t go wrong here.

The food seems carelessly prepared. The $5 sundaes we ordered were no larger than McDonald's $1 sundaes, making them extremely overpriced for the quantity of ice cream and hot fudge provided. By the time we received them, the sundaes had already melted. The staff appeared disinterested, serving our food without a smile or any semblance of customer service. It’s clear that things have really changed over the years.

I always find that my ice cream melts quickly when I visit this place. For instance, I ordered an Oreo Blizzard, and I ended up pouring out a quarter of it because it was too liquidy. I've never had this issue at other places. Additionally, the staff are often rude, which adds to the frustration. I won't be returning here; I’d rather drive into the city to get ice cream at Dave’s Twisty Treats.

The drive-thru is very slow, so don't come here if you're looking for a quick meal. I waited 30 minutes with only five cars ahead of me, and this seems to happen all the time. I even tried going inside to see if it would be faster, but that was not the case either. There was just one person in front of me and it still took 15 minutes.

The service was slow, even though there were only a handful of customers. The Christmas music was excessively loud and started way too early in the season, which was quite irritating.