By Faith Miller and Nicholas Wynn
A common staple of American culture and cuisine is the fast food industry. With different establishments drawing from different culinary types and styles, fast food can provide quick, easy, and diverse meals. One food component of the industry, with especial focus during the warmer months, is ice cream. As an end-of-the-school-year special, the Milestone sent staffers Faith Miller and Nicholas Wynn to test the ice cream at the local favorite shops of Dairy Queen, Graeter’s, and United Dairy Farmers.
Dairy Queen
Located at 8082 Beechmont Avenue
Miller – At Dairy Queen, I ordered a medium, Summer Berry Cheesecake Blizzard that cost a little over $4. I waited a bit in line for my order to be made since it was busy that day, but when I got my order, to my surprise, they thought that I had ordered a Butterfinger Blizzard, which is nothing like what I had ordered. I told the worker that 
they had gotten my order wrong and told them again what I ordered. Once again, they had gotten the order wrong. This time they thought that I wanted a Strawberry Cheesecake Blizzard; at least it was closer to the original order this time though. I told them once again that wasn’t the item I had ordered, but since the line was getting long I decided to not have the other customers wait and that it wasn’t worth it to wait myself, so I took the Strawberry Cheesecake Blizzard instead. In a way, I am glad I ended up receiving this new order because of how good it tasted. There were chunks of cheesecake in the Blizzard that made it taste great, and I could really taste the strawberry without it being overpowered. The ice cream started to melt somewhat quickly, but I personally prefer that over ice creams that seem to never melt. Overall, even with the order mix up, because of the taste, Dairy Queen earns an 8/10.
Wynn – I decided to order my go-to Blizzard at Dairy Queen, which is the Chocolate Xtreme flavor. Made with chocolate ice cream, chocolate chips, and chocolate brownie chunks, it’s a treat to quell nearly any chocoholic’s cravings. While all the chocolate 
tastes strong and real, especially the brownie bits, the ice cream is a little too thin and lacks a thick consistency. The toppings thrown into the Blizzard are so abundant, however, that it can be hard to tell how thin the ice cream is since all the chocolate chips and brownie bits make it so much thicker. The ice cream also seemed to melt too quickly, making it hard to enjoy after a couple minutes. With a small size costing $3.99, Dairy Queen wasn’t bad at all, although the taste did seem to be missing anything special. I’d rate it a 7/10.
Graeter’s
Located at 8533 Beechmont Avenue
Miller – Like at Dairy Queen, I again ordered the Strawberry Cheesecake ice cream at 
Graeter’s, one scoop in a bowl. To my disappointment, I couldn’t really taste anything special in it. The only thing that I could pick out from the flavor was mainly vanilla, to the point that it was too overpowering. There was the occasional strawberry but not nearly enough, and the few cheesecake bits were just small crusts. The ice cream itself was creamy and did taste good, but I honestly didn’t see anything special overall. Because of this, Graeter’s gets a 7.5/10.
Wynn – At Graeter’s, I chose to get my absolute favorite ice cream flavor Black Raspberry 
Chip. While there were fewer chocolate chips than at Dairy Queen, the ice cream itself was thicker, richer, and had a creamier consistency. It also just seemed colder, and didn’t melt nearly as fast so I could actually sit and enjoy it. It seemed a lot stronger, and tasted truly handmade. With one scoop in a cup costing $4.25, as well as the possibility for cones and many other ice cream flavor options, Graeter’s earns a 9/10.
United Dairy Farmers
Located at 6701 Beechmont Avenue
Miller – UDF was by far the worst ice cream out of the three. To keep my order pattern 
going, I ordered a scoop of Strawberry Cheesecake ice cream. I had high hopes for UDF since I’ve always loved their ice cream, but, when it comes to this flavor, it didn’t satisfy. I couldn’t really taste any of the cheesecake flavor. I could clearly taste the strawberry, but that wasn’t a good thing. The flavor for the strawberry tasted so artificial that it was hard to eat. I do love how the prices were cheaper, being less than $3, but in this case those wanting ice cream would be better off buying the ice cream that cost a little bit more. Due to this experience, UDF gets a 6/10.
Wynn – At UDF, I decided on trying their cherry cordial flavor. It tasted especially fresh 
and cold, but was almost too cold, like it was almost freezer burnt. The ice cream was thicker than it was at Dairy Queen, which was good, but wasn’t as thick, creamy, and smooth as the ice cream at Graeter’s. It also wasn’t as melty as at Dairy Queen, but was meltier than Graeter’s. While UDF was the cheapest option, one scoop costing under $3, it was also the smallest. However, UDF does have great cone and flavor options, so it earns an 8/10.
Overall, Wynn and Miller disagreed on which ice cream establishment was the best. Miller liked Dairy Queen the best, followed by Graeter’s and UDF. However, Wynn preferred Graeter’s, followed by UDF then Dairy Queen. Use the poll below or leave a comment in the comment section to help settle the debate of which ice cream is the best.
The McNicholas Milestone 