Orange Julius: The revival of a brand

​The last time I tasted a frothy, creamy Orange Julius drink was two decades ago in the lumbering retail dinosaur known as Metcalf South Mall. That little beverage stand is long gone, although a few local shopping malls still feature places to purchase the unique sweet beverage, which dates back to 1929. The best-known of the mall locations is in the food court of Independence Center, which also features one of the metro’s few DQ Treat Centers: a combination Dairy Queen soft-serve shop and an Orange Julius.

Dairy Queen International (a subsidiary of Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway) purchased the Orange Julius brand in 1987, but waited until 2005 to introduce the prototype DQ Orange Julius “Treat Center” in a freestanding location outside of Pittsburgh.

The DQ Orange Julius Treat Center at 14420 E. Highway 40 opened that same year, selling the full line of DQ cold treats along with the full line of Orange Julius beverages and hot dogs, once a staple of the Orange Julius stands.