BEMIDJI 鈥� The planned Dairy Queen Grill & Chill on the former site of Rod鈥檚 Meats won鈥檛 open in 2024 as developer Andrew Peralta waits for an appraisal of the property at 1718 Paul Bunyan Drive NW.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a waiting game right now,鈥� Peralta said. 鈥淚鈥檓 just hoping we can get the project started this year, so we can open by March or April (of 2025).鈥�
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Peralta purchased Bemidji鈥檚 Lakeside Dairy Queen from Mike Magnan in January. He also acquired the former Rod鈥檚 Meats location with the intention of building a Grill & Chill, which can be open year-round.
After the Bemidji Planning Board approved the Grill & Chill's construction in March, the former meat market building was torn down to make space for the new restaurant. However, things on the development side haven't moved as quickly as Peralta had initially hoped.
He said it鈥檚 still possible to pour the concrete slab for the Grill & Chill this year.
鈥淭he weather is kind of turning on us now, so it鈥檚 a little frustrating just waiting,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 have to make a decision on whether I want to incur the winter costs at this point.鈥�
Peralta also owns Dairy Queen Grill & Chill locations in Thief River Falls and Mentor. He said the 3,200-square-foot building in Bemidji will have indoor seating for 33 customers and two drive-thru lanes accessible from Paul Bunyan Drive and Balsam Street.
He said his first year at the seasonal Lakeside Dairy Queen has been very successful. The new owner eliminated food from the Lakeside menu in order to focus on frozen items. An outdoor freezer was added recently so the location could sell cakes.
鈥淲e鈥檙e loving it,鈥� Peralta said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been a great fit for us. It鈥檚 so much simpler without having food, just less maintenance on the equipment.鈥�
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