MOUNT VERNON— Clint and Angela Henik took over the Mount Vernon Dairy Queen one year ago this May, and the community is ready to celebrate.

In celebration of the anniversary, the restaurant had specials all day on the 17th, with Giggles the clown making balloon animals between 12-4.

“We just wanted to do something fun as a thank you to everyone who has come out to support us over the last year,” said Angela Henik.

According to Henik the most popular order is a cookie dough or Oreo Blizzard, but the special menu is also a big hit in the community.

“It’s a fun way to use ingredients we already have and mix it up a little bit,” Henik said about the special menu. “The key lime Blizzard is probably one of the most popular secret menu items and was a good way for us to use the lime flavoring for Mistys which isn’t very popular.”

Despite their success this year, the Henik family do not have a background in the food or service industry.

“My background has been all in the medical field and my husband owns his own business doing chainsaw carvings and making custom wood furniture,” said Angela Henik. “This was quite the change for us.”

As far as what inspired the couple to take on this challenge, Henik says it was a mixture of fond childhood memories and a commitment to the community.

“My husband remembers going to Dairy Queen with his grandparents and throughout his life, we also have taken all of our children there as well,” said Henik. “So after talking it over we decided to purchase Dairy Queen in hopes of keeping it open full time, and I think we have been doing a great job of that in the last year.”

Henik has only lived in the Mount Vernon area for eight years, but she feels like it is the perfect place for her and her husband to raise their three children and a great opportunity to build community ties.

“I am not originally from Mount Vernon like my husband Clint is, so I have enjoyed getting to know more people in the community,” Henik said. “I know we are a franchise, but it doesn’t feel like that, it feels like a small town business that just happens to be a Dairy Queen.”

The small-town family feel stems from the staff the Mount Vernon Dairy Queen has. Henik says that all of their employees are from Mount Vernon or Lisbon, with the exception of one from Solon.

The staff of twenty is also primarily local high school students who work after school or in the summer, with the exception of the manager.

“All [employees] are high school students who juggle working, sports, and many extracurricular activities,” said Henik. “So we have a big staff just to make sure we are always able to be open.”

The summer season is by far the busiest for the restaurant, with Henik saying that November through January was slow in comparison.

“We have a decent lunch crowd with all of the local businesses around, so it’s hard to average,” said Henik. “But right now we see a few hundred people a day.”

Although the Henik’s are celebrating a year in business, there are still challenges that the couple has had to endure. Besides the learning curve of getting used to life in the food industry, the constant demand of running a restaurant has been a new experience as well.

“Dairy Queen is almost a 24/7 job between handling call ins when they happen, making sure equipment is working properly,” said Henik. “Inevitably the few times we have left town, something major has happened with some of our freezers.”

Henik also credits her manager Alivia Studt for the success of the business, as she has been on staff at the Dairy Queen since before the ownership transition.

“Our manager Alivia has been great for keeping everything running when we are away,” she said.

Overall, what Henik wants the community to take away from their business after its one year mark is the love that the Henik family has for Mount Vernon.

“I just love the community and really enjoy being a part of it and having an impact,” Henik said. “Dairy Queen is here to stay and hopefully it can be a business that continues to be part of the community for many generations to come.”

Ella McEntaffer | Staff photo

DSC0025 – Grant Tucker helps a customer at Dairy Queen Saturday, May 17. The day was thee one-year anniversary for the Henik family as owners of the chain restaurant.

DSC0032-  Sparkles the Clown was on site for balloon animals for the celebration.

Submitted photo

Henik family – Angie and Clint Henik and their children at the Dairy Queen during the celebration