What was once one of Minnesota’s first Dairy Queen treat shops was reborn as Sprinkles in 2025.
Lead image via growroseville.com
By Nancy Sonmore — Volunteer contributor
Did you know that Roseville’s beloved Dairy Queen was almost demolished?
This unique mid-century building, with its soaring glass windows and distinctive neon sign, opened in 1947. Back then, only cones and sundaes were on the menu.
Modern Dairy Queen offerings have expanded greatly: lattes, a variety of sandwiches, a multitude of ice cream treats, and more. The small size of this Roseville icon made it hard to move around, and it was not energy efficient. For these reasons, there was talk of razing the building and replacing it with a larger Grill and Chill. Public outcry ensued.
Fortunately for fans of the Lexington Plaza Dairy Queen, the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota (Rethos) intervened. In 2010, the Roseville Dairy Queen was placed on Minnesota’s Ten Most Endangered Historic Places, and this local fixture was saved from tear-down.
Fast forward to 2024— to many citizens’ surprise and dismay, the Roseville Dairy Queen closed and went up for sale. Then good news in 2025: the owner of Maverick’s Real Roast Beef was taking over and reimagining the space.
The building was refurbished and the neon sign changed to “Sprinkles” using “Dairy Queen font.” Sprinkles’ menu has tons of options, its culinary equipment is new and a large, bright patio awaits its customers.
Do you have your own bits of Roseville trivia? The Roseville Reporter and I would love to hear from you, and share your story with our community. Reach us at info@rosevillereporter.org or nsonmore@gmail.com
