Dairy Queen iced coffee and frappe part of 'happy hour'

The iced-coffee market is heating up, both locally and nationally.

Dairy Queen has unveiled "happy-hour" pricing from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays on its iced coffee and frappe products that were introduced last month. Jacquie Nelson, franchise owner of Dairy Queen shops in Kettering and Carlisle, said her stores are participating in the nationwide happy-hour promotion, which offers small coffees for $1, frappes for $2 and fruit smoothies for $2 each weekday afternoon. Those happy-hour prices represent a discount of $1 to $1.39 from regular prices, Nelson said.

Dunkin' Donuts, meanwhile, is poised to unveil what it calls "Cold Brew" coffees nationwide later this summer, and a spokeswoman for Dayton-area and Cincinnati-area Dunkin' Donuts locations confirmed this morning that the new products are expected to roll out in our region in late July or early August.

Both Dairy Queen and Dunkin’ Donuts have multiple locations throughout southwest and west-central Ohio, with Dunkin’ Donuts re-establishing the chain’s presence here in the last couple of years.

Cold coffee represents the biggest growth market in the beverage category nationwide, according to Nation's Restaurant News.

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About the Author

Mark Fisher

Mark Fisher, a 1981 graduate of Ohio State University and a 1976 graduate of Beavercreek High School, is a third-generation Dayton-area resident who has worked for the Dayton Daily News since 1983. He covered higher education and K-12 education accountability issues for nearly 20 years before taking over the food and dining beat in 2006.