Pruetts step down as owners of Holton's Dairy Queen

For 22 years, Mark and Vickie Pruett have been a familiar fixture in Holton’s restaurant community, serving up burgers, chicken strips, sundaes and Blizzards as the own­ers of Holton’s Dairy Queen fran­chise.

Starting April 28, however, the Dairy Queen was taken over by Wayne and Tricia Vandewater of Gravois Mills, Mo. But having been involved with the restaurant that long, Vickie Pruett said selling the franchise was not an easy deci­sion to make.

“Every time we go into town, our eyes just go automatically to it, even though we don’t own it any­more,” Pruett said. “You can’t just do it for that long and not love the place.”

For the Pruetts and two of their children, the restaurant became “a second home” over the years - and that’s part of why selling the fran­chise was a hard decision.

“When we went in, our son was three, and two of them literally grew up in the back of the DQ,” Pruett said. “It was a home away from home for my family, and we worked it as a family. We prepared everything ourselves.”

As for the Vandewaters, who also own a Dairy Queen in Cam­denton, Mo., Pruett said she felt comfortable selling the franchise to them.

“They’ve kept every employee, and they’ll be able to offer them more benefits, since they own more than just the lone DQ like we did. That will be good for the employ­ees,” Pruett said, noting that she and her husband employed “20 to 25” area residents.

The Pruett family connection won’t entirely be severed, as Pruett’s daughter-in-law, Shebly Pruett, will continue to work there as the general manager “until she finishes school.” Meanwhile, Mark Pruett continues to work at Good­year in Topeka, while Vicki plans to look after her mother and just “enjoy the summer.”

The family may not have that physical connection to the restau­rant anymore, but Vickie Pruett said that with the support the fam­ily has received through the years, there will always be a historical one.

“We couldn’t have asked not just Holton, but also the surrounding communities, for better support,” she said. “You can work as hard as you want, but it’s no good unless the people appreciate what you’re doing and want to come. And they’ve come back, over and over again. I’m going to miss that.”