Minnesota’s Oldest Dairy Queen is Still Up for Sale

Last year the oldest Dairy Queen in Minnesota went up for sale and it still hasn't been sold. In March of 2024, the Spratte family put their Dairy Queen on Broadway in Rochester, MN up on the market and it's still waiting for the perfect buyer.

The History of Minnesota's First Dairy Queen

LeRoy Spratte opened this Dairy Queen on June 20th, 1947. LeRoy was originally from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and was given the opportunity to " jump on the bandwagon of soft serve ice cream."

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He decided to take a risk and purchased the franchise rights for Olmsted, Freeborn, and Winona counties in Minnesota. Then he decided to open his own shop and the first DQ in Minnesota was opened.

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The business has stayed in the family all of these years and the last owner was Tim Spratte, LeRoy's grandson.

Tim bought the store in 1996 and in 2024, after nearly 30 years, he has decided it's time to retire and put the business up for sale.

This isn't just Minnesota's oldest DQ, it's also one of those iconic walk-up DQs. It's closed in the winter and it didn't open at all last summer because of Tim retiring. It's so sad!

Minnesota's Oldest Dairy Queen is For Sale

I'm really hoping someone comes around because it would be so cool to keep the tradition going.

Not only is the plot of land for sale, it's the DQ business, and it also sounds like, based on what I've read from Realty Growth, the purchase would also come with the opportunity to franchise DQs throughout Olmsted, Freeborn, and Winona counties.

It's up for sale for $1.4 million, which I believe is how much it was originally listed for in March 2024.