NYREJ: Breslin Realty brings Dairy Queen to Long Island

For over 60 years, Wilbur Breslin of Breslin Realty has been introducing major national brands to Long Island, the latest being Dairy Queen.

As one of the largest fast food systems in the world, with more than 6,000 restaurants in the U.S., Canada, and 20 other countries, DQ’s entry to Long Island was long overdue.

“A reporter once asked me what percentage of national brands I attracted to Long Island, and I guessed maybe 75%,” Breslin said recently on the occasion of his 60th year in the real estate development and management business. “But he did his research and got back to me to tell me that it’s over 85%. I’m very happy that my company could have that kind of impact in a region, and we’re still going strong.”

Breslin said that his associates responsible for the Dairy Queen deal are Charles Navarro, associate broker, who represented Dairy Queen in the purchase of 5366 Sunrise Hwy., and Zachary Cooper, VP at Breslin Realty, who represented Dairy Queen in the acquisition of 3095 Hempstead Tpke., Levittown. The proposed opening of the Levittown unit is scheduled for fall.

“Just in the past month, we’ve also negotiated long term leases for the Green Turtle Sports Bar and Grille in Franklin Sq. and a new Walmart Neighborhood Market at Levittown Mews, so we’re still leading the parade of new brands locating on Long Island,” Breslin said.

Among the other many retailers introduced to Long Island by Breslin are: Trader Joes, Waymart, Home Depot, Stop & Shop, Marshall’s, K-Mart, 7-Eleven, The Gap, A.C. Moore, Toys R Us, Barnes & Noble, Krispy Kream, Cosi, Chipotle, Burger King, Old Navy, Bed Bath & Beyond, Ruby Tuesday, Pathmark and Babies R Us.

The first Dairy Queen opened in Joliet, Illinois, in 1940. Although it was called ice cream by customers, the operation actually served a soft, frozen dairy product. By the 1950s, malts, milkshakes and banana splits were added to the menu. Inside the United States, Texas has the most DQ stores with over 600, and now Long Island has one too!

Dairy Queen, which also owns Orange Julius of America and Karmelkorn Shoppes, was purchased by Berkshire Hathaway in early 1998. Its headquarters are in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Because each unit is independently owned and operated, there is some latitude on the exact menu of items that are offered and operating hours, but there is no denying that the core offerings set the mouth to watering, as witnessed by the lines waiting to get into their new unit.

Thanks, Wilbur, for giving Long Island another option to tingle the taste buds, this one known as “fan food, not fast food.”