Dining options in Hartwell, Ga are varied, and more and more restaurants are opening every day. But there’s one surprising place in town that you really should check out when you’re not on the lake. The Dairy Queen in Hartwell, Ga has a long history of delighting residents with eats and treats, and this family-owned business has quite the reputation among locals. They were even awarded 5 Best of Hartwell awards in 2019!

The best breakfast in Hartwell

And you don’t have to take my word for it! The DQ in Hartwell won several best in town awards in 2018 and 2019, and two of them were for their breakfast menu. Voted ‘Best Breakfast’ and ‘Best Biscuits’ in Hartwell, this DQ Grill & Chill has been serving breakfast for decades. You won’t find another DQ with this kind of breakfast. A far cry from the standard DQ offerings, the store in Hartwell makes their biscuits from scratch every morning starting at 3:30 AM! Besides the biscuits, you’ll get real eggs cooked to order, your choice of breakfast meats including country ham and freshly cooked bacon. Of course, there are the staples like hash browns, grits, and gravy to complete your country breakfast in Hartwell.

Bring the whole family for a traditional southern breakfast at DQ in Hartwell, GA

If you’re headed out to the lake early for fishing, you can get a breakfast biscuit as early as 5am, and they keep ’em coming hot out of the oven all the way until 11 o’clock. The full breakfast menu is served from 5am to 11am every single day, and on the weekends the restaurant is packed.

Local tip: call ahead on busy Saturday and Sunday mornings and skip the long lines!

Year-round covered patio seating

The current Dairy Queen building was remodeled in 2016 to include a completely new interior and covered patio with ceiling fans. This expanded the already large dining room to provide comfortable outdoor seating. The patio at DQ is a popular hangout for friends and families who want to dine outside no matter the weather. Locals often have parties and family gatherings on the patio at the DQ. With comfy seating, their fenced patio is a great place to enjoy your favorite DQ foods and cool off with a world famous Blizzard treat. A covered awning and stack stone feature make this patio the place to enjoy a hamburger (another best in Hartwell) on pretty days. You can get quite the variety of food at DQ including warm turkey sandwiches, southern BBQ and onion rings, and even pretzel sticks!

Best ice cream and desserts in Hartwell

Dairy Queen’s classic treats including the Blizzard and Peanut Buster Parfait are a favorite treat after a day on the lake. Did you know that counting all the Blizzard and sundae flavors, DQ has over 50 treats on their menu? Yep! The Blizzard menu features over 30 combinations alone with seasonal and monthly specials.

The crew at Hartwell’s DQ is happy to serve you!

You can even get a brownie or fudge stuffed cookie baked until warm and gooey, then covered in creamy soft serve and topped with hot fudge and whipped cream. Specialty blended milkshakes and sweetly stacked parfaits are frequent favorites.

Want something different? They also offer dipped cones, classic sundaes, and ice cream popsicles (including no sugar added options).

Healthier options include real fruit smoothies made with low-fat yogurt (optional). Even DQ’s signature creamy soft serve is low fat with a kids cone raking in 170 calories and 4.5 g fat.

Celebrate with a DQ cake

DQ cakes and Blizzard cakes are a great way to celebrate any event. The Hartwell store, in particular, is known for having the best ice cream cakes. DQ cakes are one of a kind with a chocolate ice cream bottom, crunchy chocolate bits, and thick fudge in the middle. Then it’s all covered with creamy vanilla soft serve.

Custom cake designs are top notch at the Hartwell DQ

Each cake is custom decorated by their in house cake decorator. Order in advance and you can have your cake created to say whatever or look however you like. For last-minute parties, choose from a generous selection of ready to go cakes that can be customized with a name and message on site. If a cake seems like too much, try the smaller mini cakes or even a single serving sized cupcake. Love a chocolate cookie crust? You’ll enjoy the Treatza Pizzas made with creamy soft serve, and a variety of toppings make this pizza pie treat great for potlucks and parties.

Support a business owned by the same family for over 40 years

Even though Dairy Queen is an international brand, each store is owned by a franchisee. So visiting a Dairy Queen means you’re supporting local small business owners.

The DQ crew in Hartwell is a close-knit group of friendly faces!

What makes the DQ in Hartwell extra special is that it’s been owned by the same family for over 40 years. When the late Fletcher Seabolt took over in 1976, he quickly won the hearts of the community with his friendly nature and numerous charitable donations to local organizations.

That tradition continues on today with our local DQ sponsoring several churches, sports teams, and various organizations in the community. Add to that, that the store has and continues to employ over 30 local residents, and you can see why this Grill & Chill store means so much to Hartwell, GA. In fact, the Hartwell DQ has employed as many as 3 generations within the same family and has employees that have stayed with them for over 20 years! It’s one of the favorite first jobs for local teenagers and even offers scholarships to high schoolers who’ve worked there.

Have you been to the Hartwell DQ Grill & Chill?

Make sure to stop by and say hey to all the friendly DQ Hartwell crew next time you’re in town and don’t forget to try the Blizzard of the Month!

1. Dairy Queen Hartwell, Ga Hours: 5am to 10pm Sun-Thurs, 5am to 11pm Fri-Sat

2. Address: 440 E Franklin St

3. Phone: 706-376-2405

4. Follow on Facebook: @DQHartwell