For many years, Orange Julius was the premiere drink destination for mall shoppers. Not quite a smoothie nor a milkshake, the frothy OJ-based thirst-quencher was the quintessential beverage to pair with many shoppers' go-to mall food -- an Auntie Anne's pretzel. However, eventually, the Orange Julius locations seemed to vanish.
In reality, what happened was that the company was purchased by Dairy Queen in 1987, and slowly but surely, a majority of the stand-alone Orange Julius stores began transforming into DQs. Luckily, these newly established Dairy Queens still featured a handful of Julius drinks on their menu, allowing former mall rats to continue getting their citrusy nostalgia needs met. Yet in recent years, several members of the Orange Julius fandom have discovered that their local Dairy Queens no longer offer the beloved drink, leaving some wondering if the nearly 100-year-old item has quietly been discontinued. Fear not, Orange Julius fans, because that is not the case. Well, not entirely, at least.
Dairy Queen did, unfortunately, discontinue the Orange Julius menu at its Grill & Chill restaurants in 2019. However, its treat-only locations still offer a selection of Orange Julius products, including the original Orange Julius drink we all know and love. Still, many Dairy Queen restaurants are franchised, which can lead to some variation in menu offerings. If you're not sure what the status of your local treat-only DQ is, it may be best to call ahead and ask if they offer Orange Julius products.
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Why Did Dairy Queen Stop Selling Orange Julius Drinks At Grill & Chill Locations?
The decision to pull Orange Julius beverages from DQ's Grill & Chill menus in 2019 seemingly came with no warning and no official explanation as to why. However, a Facebook post from a New Hampshire-based franchisee suggested that low sales could be to blame, noting that Orange Julius drinks "[made] up less than 1%" of its sales. This tracks closely with the brand's overall annual sales of $1.8 million in 2023, which amounts to about half a percent of DQ's revenue of $3.6 billion that year. Additionally, other franchisees on Reddit claimed that making Orange Julius drinks was fairly time-consuming, causing slowdowns during peak hours. Some posters also said that the ingredients took up considerable freezer space just to be thrown away due to expiration.
Fortunately, Dairy Queen's treat-only locations are still keeping the Orange Julius alive, as are the combination DQ-OJ locations in shopping malls, which one apparent DQ-employed Redditor suggested is the only store type still offering the full OJ menu. There is, sadly, no master list of these stores that we can find, but you can use the online store locator to search your area for one. These are differentiated by a "Treat Only" label in the results. If you've only got a Dairy Queen Grill & Chill near you, you can always make a copycat Orage Julius. You can even try spiking it with your favorite booze for an ideal alcoholic Orange Julius.
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