Dairy Queen Cancels Free Cone Day Over COVID-19 Concerns

Dairy Queen has canceled its annual Free Cone Day this year overcrowd concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Free Cone Day offers customers a free small vanilla soft-serve cone. The ice cream chain is fearful about the crowd that the historically busy day usually attracts, which could be risky during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

The company announced on their Facebook page Thursday, stating, “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.” Luckily, Dairy Queen assured its loyal customers that the event would make its return in 2022.

Dairy Queen is just one of a few chains to cancel or postpone their annual promotions. IHOP previously announced the cancellation of its beloved National Pancake Day. To satisfy their patrons without crowding restaurants, they opted to provide a coupon for a free Short Stack that customers can use at any point in April. Last year, during the most strict lockdown restrictions, 7-Eleven canceled its Free Slurpee Day.