This Fast Food Chain Is The Rumored Inventor Of The Beloved ICEE Drink

When you think of an ICEE, you might think of picking up the beverage at a gas station or buying it at a theater concession stand. In the minds of many, it's more associated with these locations than a traditional restaurant, so it may surprise you to learn its origins lay with a fast food chain. Specifically, the ICEE is rumored to have come from a Dairy Queen location in the 1950s.

According to Kansas Public Radio, the ICEE was invented by Omar Knedlik, a Kansas resident. He was a Dairy Queen franchise owner in the late 1950s, but didn't have a working soda fountain. Instead, he partially froze Coca-Cola in the bottle and sold it to customers, who loved the icy texture that formed in the freezer. Seeing a business opportunity, turned to a Texas company to develop a machine that could emulate the icy drink. Five years later, in 1960, he patented the machine, which led to him starting the ICEE company.

The gas station 7-Eleven started using these machines to great success in 1965 (though they later renamed their own version to Slurpee), which is where the product's association with gas stations comes from. However, Knedlik's influence on the frozen beverage scene cannot be overstated, as almost every major fast food brand sells their own variation of an Slurpee today, and without him, the cold, slushie treats may not exist. 

ICEE was purchased by J&J Snack Foods in 1987, and the brand remains its parent company today. Sadly, only two years later, Omar Knedlik passed away – though luckily, he got to see his brand flourish before his passing. According to ICEE's website, today, they are the number one frozen beverage brand across the world, selling over half a billion products yearly. As of the time of this writing, ICEE advertises 23 flavors on its site, including crossover flavors with other brands such as Froot Loops and Peeps. Yet the brand still offers cola flavor, hearkening back to the original frozen Coke beverages Knedlik served. ICEE also sells merch and collaborates with other brands to make products flavored like its beverages, such as its 2023 collaboration with Jones Soda.

Ironically, despite the prototype for the ICEE coming from Dairy Queen, the chain has never served ICEE brand products. Instead, they have a similar beverage called the Misty Slush. This makes sense, as Knedlik never officially sold the ICEE brand at his Dairy Queen location and only invented the ICEE machine after moving away from his franchise. It does mean, however, that many people have no idea of the two's connection, and may even think it originates from somewhere like 7-Eleven. Now that you know the true story, you'll likely be thinking of ICEE next time you pick up the best Dairy Queen Blizzard.