Dairy Queen Back in Dale City

It's been a long wait for Dairy Queen fans in Dale City, but the wait is finally over.

Dale City's opened on Wednesday after getting a much-needed makeover six months in the making. New owner Rebecca Visperas worked at the location for the previous owners for four years.

The Dairy Queen was closed in September because, according to Dairy Queen field consultant Chris Lofgren, it did not live up to Dairy Queen standards. "It was a dump," Lofgren said.

Now the Dairy Queen is back as a special "Grill & Chill" franchise. Lofgren said Grill & Chill franchises get extra menu items, special decor and table service, meaning customers have food delivered to them at their seats.

The Dale City location was one of the first Dairy Queens in northern Virginia when it opened its doors in 1977. Since then, the franchise built a loyal customer base in the area.

The restaurant had a steady flow of customers on Wednesday, many of whom said they had been waiting eagerly for the reopening. Carl Blimline said he is a big fan of Dairy Queen.

"I've been waiting for a while for it to open," Blimline said. "It's nice. It looked like it needed renovation."