Dairy Queen cancels Free Cone Day 2021, its annual first day of spring freebie, amid COVID-19
Add another food holiday to the COVID-19 list of cancellations: Dairy Queen's Free Cone Day.
Dairy Queen announced on its Facebook page that it has "made the difficult decision to cancel this year’s Free Cone Day." The event was held annually on the first day of spring but was postponed in 2020 amid the coronavirus pandemic.
"As spring approaches, we all look forward to Free Cone Day, an event that attracts long lines at our restaurants. Given the state of COVID-19, we've made the difficult decision to cancel this year's event with your safety and the safety of our crew members in mind," the company said in a statement.
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Many restaurants have changed or canceled giveaways during the pandemic to prevent crowds.
Last summer, 7-Eleven canceled its one-day Free Slurpee Day, held annually on July 11, and gave members of its loyalty program a month to redeem a coupon for a free Slurpee. Chick-fil-A's Cow Appreciation Day 2020 was postponed but was not rescheduled.
In December, Starbucks announced it paused its Happy Hour promotions, which are buy-one-get-one free promotions.
IHOP announced last week it has canceled National Pancake Day 2021 but will still give away free pancakes. The chain is flipping the annual one-day event into a monthlong promotion for MyHOP email club members who sign up by March 31.
Dairy Queen gave some hope that its event would return.
"We look forward to bringing back Free Cone Day in 2022 and celebrating our fans in a sweet way," the company's statement said.
Follow USA TODAY reporter Kelly Tyko on Twitter: @KellyTyko
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Free Cone Day 2021: Dairy Queen cancels spring freebie amid COVID
