Back to School Issue: Dairy Joy’s New Drive-Thru

The local ice cream shop Dairy Joy opens a Drive-Thru.

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Photo Allie Barton

A statue of Elvis Presley and a sign with their logo welcomes you as you approach Dairy Joy’s new drive-thru. The drive-thru menu can be found behind this.

Allie Barton, Social Media Editor

If you’re craving a hunk-a-hunk ice cream waffle cone and want to avoid other hound dogs, Dairy Joy has a drive-thru as of May 17, 2022.

The prestigious store originally opened its doors for business in 1958. It is known as a staple of South Tampa. With its history and charm, Dairy Joy has been a long-time favorite to people living in South Tampa. For its first 60 years, the shop was a cash-only establishment.

Chris and Karrie Mueller bought the ice cream shop in late 2018 and started working on restoring it to its previous glory during the 1950s right away. Every time you pass the business, you’ll find people playing corn hole, dancing to the doo-wop music that is consistently playing or relishing their sweets while “cruising” in late 1950s Chevrolet bel airs.

The Mueller duo has made a change to the Manhattan shop by putting a whipped cream machine to produce a variety of milkshakes. The drive-thru menu also includes ice cream, hot dogs, snow cones and sundaes as well.

Looking left from Dairy Joy, you can see how the Muellers mirrored the 50’s look onto the new Dairy joy drive-thru. Formerly painted in royal blue and white, the façade of Dairy Joy now has pastel hues, new lighting and a rearranged parking lot.

My personal favorite while visiting Dairy Joy as a whole. A plain soft serve chocolate cup. (Photo Allie Barton)

When visiting both locations, the quality of service and food is equal. If you’re in a rush, pop on over to the drive-thru for fast and efficient service with a smile.

Whenever my friends and I are lost on where to go, we always seem to wind up at Dairy Joy. This has been a clutch in our time off from school on hot summer nights. While at the establishment, you can always see people enjoying the atmosphere from infants to seniors and everyone in between.

If you want to visit:

Address: 3813 S Manhattan Ave, Tampa, Florida 33611

Hours: Sunday – Thursday: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Friday – Saturday: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.