Dairy Queen Only Sells Tacos In This Lone State

Dairy Queen has locations in all but one U.S. state — Vermont — meaning that you're almost always in luck if you're craving one of the chain's famous Blizzards or chocolate-covered Dilly Bars. If you're in the mood for a taco from the chain, though, your luck might not be quite as good. Wait, you didn't know that Dairy Queen sells tacos? Then you must not be from Texas.

The Lone Star State is the exclusive home to Dairy Queen's tacos, which the chain has appropriately named Texas T-Brand tacos. Featuring beef, cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes packed inside a crispy, crunchy taco shell and served with a packet of D.Q. taco sauce on the side, these Texan delicacies have won over several of their constituents, including YouTuber Adaryl's Food Reviews. "A lot better than I expected ... good seasoned beef, it's not bland at all," they said in their review of the handhelds, which they ultimately awarded an impressive 9.5 out of 10.

Meanwhile, TikTok user @bootlegfoodreview took things a step further and compared the Texas T-Brand tacos to their crunchy competition from Taco Bell and Jack in the Box. "Each one of those is amazing in their own right, it's just really hard to compare," the TikTok creator said after trying the tacos from Jack in the Box and Taco Bell. Once they tried D.Q.'s tacos, however, they found naming them the winner of the trio to be a breeze.

So, why are Dairy Queen's Texas locations the only stores that serve Texas T-Brand tacos? In 1947, when a man named Rolly Klose opened the first D.Q. in Texas, he was also given rights to the entire Texas territory. Klose took a casual approach to this role and gave franchisees control of their own menus, allowing them to experiment with savory dishes that weren't being served anywhere else in the country.

These franchisees eventually formed the Texas Dairy Queen Operators' Council (TDQOC) to standardize the state-specific menu and manage advertising for its stores — though this was threatened in 1980 when Klose sold his rights back to the chain. Fortunately, the TDQOC was able to work out a deal, allowing them to continue serving the state-exclusive favorites that make Texas Dairy Queens so unique, like Texas-T-Brand tacos, Hungr-Buster burgers, and steak fingers, as well as limited-time offerings like the Cheesy Dude sandwich (which made a comeback in 2022) and Cheesy Steak Fingers.

Additionally, it appears that some areas of Texas have an expanded menu of exclusive offerings. Dairy Queen locations in Tyler, Texas, for example, offer Tex-Mex favorites like nachos and taco salads along with T-Brand tacos, as well as breakfast items like biscuits and gravy.