SANFORD DAIRY QUEEN

SANFORD DAIRY QUEEN is the easy recommendation: an A health grade at 96/100 and 4.6 stars from 1,611 diners. A clean kitchen and a room that loves it don't always line up — here they do.

Its latest inspection on September 17, 2025 cited only 4 basic violations. On health score it's safer than 67% of Seminole County restaurants we grade.

A · 96/100 · safer than 67% of Seminole County

Get directions Call (407) 324-3654

Restaurant details

Health grade
A (96/100)
Violations
4 total — 4 basic
Address
2523 PARK DR, Sanford, FL
Cuisine
Other
Categories
Ice cream shop
Price
$
Rating
4.6 stars (1611 reviews)
Seats
20
Phone
(407) 324-3654
Website
Official website
Photo of SANFORD DAIRY QUEEN
Photo: Steve Morgan

Community Rating

Reviews via Google
4.6 Community-sourced rating 1,611 reviews
Read all reviews on Google →

What diners say — our read

Sorted by date, these 17 reviews trend upward. Reviews mentioning service average 3.9 stars, so it divides opinion rather than settling it. Pacing follows at 29% of reviews, where ratings average 4.2.

One subject never comes up here: freshness. 14 of 17 rated reviews are four stars or higher; 3 are two or lower. If you had to pick one number to represent this corpus it would be 5, the most frequently given rating (13 reviews).

On the inspection side the picture is cleaner: DBPR graded this kitchen an A (96/100), with 4 basic violations. Whatever the reviews argue about, sanitation is not the weak point. DBPR last walked in on September 17, 2025. On health score it sits safer than 67% of the Seminole County restaurants we grade. The citations behind that grade include cross-contamination and food-contact surfaces clean and sanitized.

Nothing here pulls in opposite directions — an unusually clean read. Everything above is computed from the 17 reviews reproduced below.

Our own analysis of 17 reviews for this restaurant, set against its Florida DBPR inspection record. How we calculate grades →

  • June 24, 2026

    Loved my banana shake. Thank you....

  • June 16, 2026

    Great service and clean.

  • June 8, 2026

    I love how the employees are always smiling when they are getting and delivering my order.

  • May 28, 2026

    I tipped the team and they did not make my waffle bowl look nothing like the picture it was smaller and had no carl or chocolate on top when I asked they were very rude put one squirt and said it would fall but did not stayed in top she made it wrong and started talking shit with coworkers I wish I didn't tip them but it asked for it first before u see if they deserve it worst experience ever

  • May 25, 2026

    THE BEST DQ IN SEMINOLE COUNTY! Owner is an absolute doll, real old school. Walk-up style, benches all around. He recently added more shade and kids games. Great kids, friendly staff, lovely location overall. Love the benches outside in the shade, & kids live the giant rocks. Line is always fast, nobody makes a fuss. The product is so creamy each time. Plenty of combinations to get something different each and every time. Quick and easy, always super cheap Compared to other chains! Better than Twustie treat any day

  • May 11, 2026

    Fast service! and well crafted order

  • May 2, 2026

    This location has been here over 40 years and is one of the original designs

  • April 27, 2026

    Great ice cream, vintage location has some little park benches with shade provided by a tree, seating there made everything so peaceful for some reason, the place not being perfectly square and not in the center of 2 miles of pavement and parking from a Strip mall made it feel somewhat genuine, that and the sweet service from the girl with gorgeous blue eyes at the counter that was able to accommodate every request I had, thank you.

  • April 17, 2026

    They have a great little store with the walk up windows. We got blizzards and shakes and a buster bar. All we're great! Quick and friendly service!

  • April 13, 2026

    Cute little DQ. We received our order quickly and the cashier was friendly.

  • April 13, 2026

    This is my favorite spot to go, when going to sanford. When you ask for small, med or large ice cream, they are true to size

  • April 12, 2026

    Finally a place with Orange Julius

  • March 23, 2026

    The experience was horrible tonight! The manager/GM was very rude and talked under her breath while taking my order due to my order was incorrect. I would like to speak to the owner because it was very disrespectful and unprofessional. I asked for her name and she stated she isn't allowed to give out her name.

  • March 18, 2026

    Don't be in a hurry they aren't

  • March 15, 2026

    The stanford location is a staple in sanford. They always give great customer serve and they take extra caution if someone in your party has food allergies.

  • February 6, 2026

    My family and I Love coming to this spot for ice cream 🍦Bella is definitely my favorite and provides the best customer service and she's always happy and super sweet.

  • January 27, 2026

    I am writing to formally report a deeply disturbing experience I had at your 2523 Park Dr, Sanford, FL 32771 Dairy Queen, on January 27 around 2.30, I am a frequent customer, but I no longer feel safe returning to this location due to the interaction of the staff there I believe I was treated unfairly and targeted by staff due to personal reasons. Upon arriving they refused service by Africa American she flipped us off and threatened to beat us up and used vulgar language and gestures it’s so extremely unprofessional More importantly, I have serious concerns regarding the safety of customers and staff. The employee, Cameron, is known to have a court-ordered ankle monitor on and I have personal knowledge that he is an abuser who beats women. Knowing this, I felt unsafe and I feel that this individual poses a risk to the public and to female customers in particular. Knowing he is working in a public, fast-paced environment and seeing him present with a court-ordered monitoring device makes me feel extremely unsafe. I felt intimidated and threatened by his presence, and I am legitimately concerned for the safety of other customers and female staff members at this location.I cannot and will not return to this Dairy Queen while he is employed there. I look forward to your prompt reply.

Overall Score

62 / 100

  • Health inspection grade 40/40
    Grade A
  • Dietary transparency 0/20
    None listed
  • Community rating 18/20
    4.6★ average
  • Hidden-gem status 0/10
    Not flagged
  • Track record 4/10
    Stable, 0% clean

Composite score from health grade, dietary options, ratings, and inspection record — distinct from the state-derived health grade.

Opening hours

Monday
10 AM to 10 PM
Tuesday
10 AM to 10 PM
Wednesday
10 AM to 10 PM
Thursday
10 AM to 10 PM
Friday
10 AM to 10 PM
Saturday
10 AM to 10 PM
Sunday
10 AM to 10 PM

Inspection history

The following records are from Florida DBPR public inspection records, most recent first.

  1. September 17, 2025 · Routine - Food

    Inspection Completed - No Further Action

    0 high-priority · 0 intermediate · 4 basic

    • 08 — Cross-contamination: raw foods separated; food protected during prep/storage
    • 14 — Food-contact & nonfood-contact surfaces properly designed/maintained
    • 22 — Food-contact surfaces clean and sanitized
    • 33 — Garbage and refuse; premises maintained

This grade is calculated by us from Florida DBPR public inspection records — Florida does not issue official grades. How we calculate it →

Data last updated: September 17, 2025