Here's why Merritt Island Dairy Queen will close Feb. 5 after 58 years

There's been lots of talk about the cold weather on the Space Coast this winter, but on Merritt Island, Blizzards, and a forecast of their disappearance, are the hot topic.

Mike and Deb Gentile, the owners of Dairy Queen on Merritt Island, told their staff Monday night that they would be closing the restaurant on Feb. 5, bringing an end to almost six decades of cool treats and happy memories.

The fast-food franchise, which got its start in Joliet, Illinois, in 1940, opened at 265 N. Courtenay Parkway, Merritt Island, in 1965. The Gentiles bought it in 1994.

"The last 28 years has had its share of ups and downs," the couple stated in a noticed posted on one of the walk-up windows Tuesday, "but with each passing year, Dairy Queen Corporate puts more and more unrealistic demands on us, leading us down a path that we would not have chosen."

It didn't take long for the news to hit social media, garnering hundreds of comments and shares, and drawing ice cream-loving crowds at a time of year when business usually slows down.

"I never dreamed that this would happen," Deb Gentile said Friday afternoon. The restaurant had been open less than 30 minutes and already cars circled the parking lot and many of the tables out front were full. A television reporter was filming from the lot next door.

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"Just the love and the support from the community, it means so much," she said. "I get emotional talking about it."

They hadn't planned to close, Gentile said, but for the past 10 years, corporate mandates have increased. To keep their franchise agreement, she said, they've had to meet requirements such as replacing expensive equipment that they said still was in good working order. Until now, they've complied.

But the latest directive, she said, was to install an electronic system for taking orders and payment that would be compatible with smart phone apps and food delivery services. While that kind of system might work at some of the larger Dairy Queen restaurants and the brand's DQ Grill & Chill stores with a heavier focus on food, it doesn't fit with what the Gentiles want to be: a neighborhood ice cream shop.

The Merritt Island Dairy Queen has drive-thru and walk-up service only, and it only accepts cash.

They didn't want to lose the face-to-face connection they now have with their customers.

"A huge part of it for my husband and I both is the relationships," Gentile said.

As for the future, the couple owns the building, and they have no plans to sell. They have a one-year non-compete agreement with Dairy Queen.

"We're not going to rule anything out," she said. "We're not ready to retire from this, and when we do retire, I would like it to be our decision and not something we're forced into."

Karen and Michael Aument and three of their grandsons were among the first at the walk-up window Friday. They've lived on Merritt Island for 23 years and have been loyal Dairy Queen customers, with their children and now grandchildren. They were treating three of their grandsons to cones and sundaes.

"I'm so sad," Karen Aument said. "We've had our oldest grandchild in a car seat on one of these tables."

The restaurant holds many years and many memories for the family, she said.

"The community is losing a good business, a business that's friendly to the community," Michael Aument said.

Deb Gentile said she's lost count of how many local high school students who've worked at Dairy Queen in the past 28 years. It's been well over 100.

Hayley Nelipowitz is one of them. She started at Dairy Queen six years ago as a Merritt Island High School student. Now 23, she graduated from Florida State in December and is working on her medical assistant license. Meanwhile, she's making soft-serve cones and Blizards.

Like Gentile, she said the relationships she's made, with co-workers and customers, have kept her at the ice cream counter. The Gentiles have become like family.

"Just working for Mike and Deb, that's what's made it so special working here," she said. "They've turned into more than just my bosses."

While they treat their employees like family, some of their workers are family. When the Gentiles bought the business, Mike, a plumber by trade, was looking for a change.

Over the years, their son and daughter worked at the restaurant. Now their 15-year-old grandson does.

"It's definitely a loss, because it's been such a big part of our life," she said. "But I'm also excited to see what God's going to do."

Dairy Queen's media relations department did not respond to an email sent Friday afternoon. The company is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Dairy Queen brand includes more than 7,000 restaurants in the United States, Canada and more than 20 other countries. International Dairy Queen Inc. is a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., which is led by Warren Buffet.

Suzy Fleming Leonard is a features journalist with more than three decades of experience. Reach her at sleonard@floridatoday.com. Find on Facebook: @SuzyFlemingLeonard or on Instagram: @SuzyLeonard.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Dairy Queen owners' decide to close Merritt Island store