The Dairy Queen at 35th and Calumet Avenue, that has been a part of the Manitowoc community for over 50 years, will officially close on Sunday.
Jon Rausch and his wife Kim have run the business for the last 14 years. Jon says that this decision was difficult to make and is “bittersweet”, but it was the right time for him and his wife to move on to the next chapter of their lives. They would like to take a more active role in their children’s lives, as their son is a junior in high school and their daughter is in college.
The current staff consists of nine part-time employees. Rausch said they were saddened when they heard then news, but understood the decision. According to Jon, they all had “an outstanding working relationship”. In fact, they plan to close early Sunday night to have “one last hoorah” together before going their separate ways.
As for the future of the building, Rausch says that he can’t confirm at this time who the next occupant will be, but did say that the sale of the business will be completed within the next week or so.
