After years of rumours, Dairy Queen is coming to Westlock.

After years of rumours, Dairy Queen is coming to Westlock.

Local restaurateur David Truckey, who is also a town councillor, made the announcement that he and wife Sandra are bringing the ice cream and burger restaurant to town at a Rotary Club meeting May 9 and later told the Westlock News he’s been working on opening the franchise for about two years.

“Dairy Queen is considered a tier 1 franchise and they have a very good reputation across North America and around the world. They’re known for being a very good company to work with, and it’s been very good working with Dairy Queen all along,” said Truckey, who also owns and operates Apollo Pizza, which has been in business for nearly 50 years in Westlock.

The restaurant will be built on the west side of Highway 44 on undeveloped land south of the Husky/Tags gas station.

Truckey said he expects to start development of the full-service drive-thru, restaurant and patio on the land before the end of May and to be completed by the end of October.

“What we’re opening is a DQ Grill and Chill, which is their flagship store and it has the treat side of it — the ice cream cakes, the dilly bars and all of that — as well as the grill side with the burgers,” he said.

Fifteen full-time positions will be created when the restaurant opens, along with up to 25 additional part-time positions during the peak summer season.

There are still a few loose ends to tie up, Truckey added. Because the development is being built along a provincial highway, a roadside permit is required from Alberta Transportation. He doesn’t foresee any upcoming issues.

“We have some final stages of permitting and plans we’re winding up with now with our architect and the Town of Westlock and Alberta Transportation,” said Truckey.

There are more than 6,400 Dairy Queen franchises in 27 countries, most of which are located in North America.