[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 151 (Tuesday, September 16, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Page S6645]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 RECOGNIZING THE HOISINGTON DAIRY QUEEN

 Mr. MORAN. Mr. President, today I would like to recognize the 
closure of a staple restaurant and icon of Hoisington, Ks. After more 
than 70 years of service to the local community, the Dairy Queen in 
Hoisington is closing its doors. The Hoisington location opened in 
1953, and the business served the area for the following decades until 
officially closing on August 28, 2025.
  For more than 40 of those years, Becky and Leon Steiner owned and 
operated the business, providing the Hoisington community with decades 
of good memories and tasty food.
  Anyone from a small, close-knit community knows firsthand the 
importance of a restaurant like Dairy Queen to the town. These 
restaurants are a place for folks to grab a bite to eat after church, a 
safe hangout spot for students to gather after school is out, and a 
place for people of all ages to gather for a cold treat when it is hot. 
For many, the local ice cream spot is an important part of the 
community.
  Throughout the years, the location of the Dairy Queen had remained 
the same, despite updates and repairs to the building, including a 
rebuild after the April 2001 tornado that caused significant damage to 
the Hoisington community.
  The location faced further hardships during the COVID-19 pandemic 
when, in March 2020, all Dairy Queen franchise stores were required to 
close their dining rooms as a result of the virus.
  And yet, despite these challenges, the Hoisington community 
consistently rallied around the business and supported its owners by 
remaining loyal customers of the restaurant.
  In 2023, Hoisington's Dairy Queen recognized the commitment of the 
community and celebrated 70 years of business at the location by 
offering a week of special deals with discounted treats such as ice 
cream cones, fries, hamburgers, and sundaes.
  While running a business for decades is no easy task, the Steiners 
credit the tremendous support of the Hoisington community as the key to 
their success over the years.
  While Becky and Leon Steiner have closed the doors to their 
restaurant, they announced that their daughter Amber and her husband 
John Crawford will open a new business, bringing a ``hometown fast 
food'' restaurant to the community to help fill the void left.
  I congratulate the Steiners on many decades of successful business in 
the local community, and I offer my best wishes to the Crawfords as 
they launch a new restaurant to continue the family legacy of service 
to the people of Hoisington.

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