The Dairy Queen in Edgartown, a beloved eatery on Martha’s Vineyard, is up for sale.
“Dairy Queen business for sale: serious buyers only. Send contact info and brief background to info.edgartowndq@gmail.com,” a classified ad placed with The Times reads.
The first Dairy Queen was built on the Island in 1967 by Richard Brown, across the street from where the current DQ is located. The initial space was sold in 1983, and the Island went a decade without the popular ice cream, until Erika and Tony Bettencourt built another one in Edgartown at its present location.
The business was sold to the Celeste family, who also own Rosewater, in 2017. It remains one of the few national chains on the Island.
The eatery’s annual opening has also been a sign of the approaching summer, with lines of people awaiting their cold, sweet treats.
This isn’t the first time the Edgartown location was put up for sale; the Celeste family tried to sell it in 2020 as well.
Edgartown Dairy Queen owner Christopher Celeste was not immediately available for comment.
Edgartown town administrator James Hagerty said if someone were to purchase the Dairy Queen, they would need to get a common victualler license from the Edgartown Select Board and approval from the Edgartown board of health. But there wouldn’t be many additional administrative steps.
Hagerty said additional work would be needed if a chain business was trying to set up a new location on the Island.
