Long-term residents of the Kingdom of Bahrain experience
a sense of nostalgia when dining at Dairy Queen. This year, the
American fast-food restaurant is celebrating the 40th anniversary
of its opening in Bahrain. We take a trip down memory lane with the
Chairman of Jawad Business Group, Faisal Jawad, who tells us about
his journey to opening the first Dairy Queen
branch.
For those who have grown up in Bahrain, the feeling that some
iconic locations are now completely unrecognisable is unshakeable.
While this might ring true for some areas, the same can’t be said
for the Salmaniya junction for one major reason – Dairy Queen.
Whether it’s a birthday party, family dinner or a chat over an
iconic Blizzard with a friend, long-term residents all have a Dairy
Queen story.
The popular restaurant, iconic across multiple generations, was
established in 1982 by the visionary businessman, Faisal Jawad.
“Businesses have existed in various ways before me, but to be able
to introduce a new concept to a community and make a difference
puts a stamp on your achievements. So, bringing Dairy Queen to
Bahrain all those years ago is definitely an achievement,” says Mr.
Jawad.
The idea of introducing a burger franchise in Bahrain came about
in 1980 when Mr. Jawad was having a discussion his mentor and two
American residents. “At the time, there wasn’t a proper concept
where you could go and get a burger in ten minutes flat. You could
go to a restaurant and ask for one but it wouldn’t be consistent,”
he explains.
Mr. Jawad saw an advert in Bahrain’s National Gazette that
shortly after. “Dairy Queen was registering their trade name, and I
thought they manufactured cheese. I wrote to them expressing my
interest in exporting some and received a response explaining that
they were not a dairy company. ‘We’re a burger and ice cream
company. Thank you and good bye.’ it read,” he reminisces.
“I thought to myself ‘Why stop there?’, so I had a
discussion with my colleagues who agreed that we could introduce
the concept. I wrote back saying we were interested and well… the
rest is history,” he says.
The first branch opened its doors in Salmaniya as the
first restaurant in Bahrain to have a drive-through. “On opening
day, we did not know what to expect. There were three Americans
who’d flown in from Minneapolis to help us with training, the staff
and myself; we had the biggest shock. People from all around the
island, including some of Bahrain’s most important people, flocked
to us,” he remembers.
“Prior to opening, we’d each written our expected outcome on a
piece of paper – BD 500, BD 1,000 and so on. We were all wrong. It
was rewarding and a memory I will always cherish,” he adds with a
smile.
Dairy Queen was opened elsewhere in the region; however,
Bahrain’s Dairy Queen presence is the only one that persevered and
exists to date. After reaching its historic 40-year milestone,
celebrations are certainly in order. “I believe the guidelines that
we followed ensured the quality and consistency of our products,
and enabled us to enjoy that longevity. The continued existence of
Dairy Queen certainly shows a lot of passion from us as a family.
In fact, my son Kareem practically grew up with that business, and
is determined to celebrate the occasion in a fitting manner even
more so than me,” he says.
Dairy Queen now has nine branches in Bahrain (most recently in
Hidd) and the team intends to expand further. “The team we have
today is not the same as the one that we started with in 82. They
have new ideas and new challenges too.” he says.
“I would like to thank the people of Bahrain for patronising
Dairy Queen, everyone who has ever worked for us, and Kareem and
his team for being very passionate about the brand,” he says
graciously.
