Harwich Port Dairy Queen Will Open Year-Round; Restaurant Under New Management

February 28, 2024

by William F. Galvin

Tara and Arthur Ramos, the new owners of the Dairy Queen in Harwich Port, will be opening the doors once again this spring and plan to keep them open year-round. COURTESY PHOTO

HARWICH – The Dairy Queen along Route 28 in Harwich Port, a longtime fixture of the village, is under new management. Arthur and Tara Ramos plan to continue to provide the DQ core menu and hope to keep the restaurant open year-round.

The property was purchased by Cape Holdings LLC, according to Arthur Ramos, who is one of three partners in the venture along with Ken Gainey and Frank Teixeira.

Ramos said he has owned a Dairy Queen Grill and Chill in Hanover since 2017.

Just when the Dairy Queen will open under their management is unclear, however. Ramos said he has a target date of March 19, the first day of spring, but he has ordered new equipment for the facility and the date of opening will be determined by its arrival and installation.

Ramos said that opening date will allow him to participate in a Dairy Queen tradition of free cone day. He said he’s not sure if the Harwich Port DQ previously participated in free cone day, but it is a tradition he has carried on in Hanover and will institute in Harwich Port.

“It’s safe to say we will be open in the spring. We will announce the date as soon as it’s decided,” Tara Ramos wrote in an email.

Arthur Ramos said he has been provisionally approved by Dairy Queen, which is one of the last steps necessary to open the franchise. He plans to stay open year-round, operating from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. The restaurant will serve the core Dairy Queen menu, he added.

Ramos said he is in the process of interviewing staff and has about 15 people interested, but he is looking for more people to fill full- and part-time positions.

Ramos said he has 18 years of experience working in the food industry, opening and managing establishments on the South Shore. He will be dividing his time between the Hanover DQ and the Harwich Port location, adding that the Hanover operation just had its seven-year anniversary, “so it runs on its own and the majority of my time will be spent here.”

Ramos said the couple lives in Hyannis, “a much faster commute” than the Hanover store.

“Artie, with his passion for providing excellent service to DQ fans, and building strong relationships within the community, looks forward to opening the doors of Harwich Port DQ Grill and Chill soon,” Tara Ramos wrote in the email.