CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — It’s been a soft opening this weekend for a new soft-serve ice cream shop.
Dottie’s Ice Cream & Soda, 3304 First Ave. NE, opened for business on May 30, 2026.
“We made it,” owner Cassie Kehe said of the opening, which achieved their target goal to open this month.
Kehe was an employee for 10 years when the site operated as a Dairy Queen, and while monetary and other challenges arose to continuing the franchise, she wanted to continue the tradition of offering ice cream at the popular location, where generations of customers have been able to walk up to the counter.
Like Dairy Queen, Dottie’s will offer soft-serve chocolate and vanilla treats, along with new specialties, such as “dirty sodas” and energy drinks.
A menu board is seen at Dottie’s Ice Cream & Sodas on May 29, 2026, before the shop opened. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
The name is a tribute to Dorothy Herrington, who opened the first Cedar Rapids Dairy Queen at the site with her husband, Gene, in 1947. Their daughter, Sally Stendel, and her husband Stephen, were next to operate the Dairy Queen. The Stendels’ daughter, Jill Muckler, the third-generation owner, died in August 2025 at age 56.
Another landmark Dairy Queen remains open at 501 16th St. NE, the last walk-up, treats-only Dairy Queen in Cedar Rapids.
Related: Dairy Queen cements place in history
Kehe said “Dottie Bars” and “Dottie Delights” will offer her own twist on favorites that should please longtime customers.
After this weekend’s soft opening, which was unannounced in order to work out any kinks and get employees up to speed, Dottie’s will be open daily beginning June 1 from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and to 9:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
Read more: Tale of two Dairy Queens
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