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BROOKHAVEN — Dairy Queen in Brookhaven is now under new ownership according to the Mississippi Department of Health and the Mississippi Secretary of State office. Natchezian Tate Hobdy owns the Brookhaven franchise in addition to the Dairy Queen in Natchez.

According to the Mississippi Secretary of State, Hobdy filed to form the business on August 19, 2024, to be effective on August 20, 2024. The Mississippi Department of Health issued a new permit for the Brookhaven Dairy Queen on Nov. 8 according to records.

Hobdy said he is excited to restore the Brookhaven Dairy Queen’s reputation to its glory days. He added everyone in Brookhaven has been welcoming and helpful so far. Currently, he is working on updating equipment and improving the quality of food and service for the restaurant located at 1003 Brookway Boulevard.

“We plan on updating the kitchen and have already improved sewage and equipment. The ice cream machine is working properly now,” Hobdy said. “There are a lot of things we have done that people may not have known the difference. We have already made a lot of changes.”

Hobdy said in addition to updating equipment they are working on improving the quality of food, service and landscaping.

One of the landscaping projects was moving a monument to Brookhaven’s beloved guinea fowl “Lil G” from behind the dumpster to the front of the restaurant.

Hobdy said they bought a picnic table for customers to eat beside the monument with “Lil G.”.The guinea would frequent a series of fast food restaurants along Brookway Boulevard before his death in August 2020.

Hobdy said the store was pretty popular under the leadership of Frances and Dan Kyle. Frances sold the Brookhaven Dairy Queen in 2018 after 33 years. Hobdy added he hopes people give his new ownership a chance and they would be patient as they strive to improve.

“We will have to rebuild the trust but we are certainly working to get back to great quality. We want to sponsor local sports teams and get involved in the community,” Hobdy said. “I’m excited about it. There are more operational changes that people may not see. We plan to update artwork and finish up landscaping and it should look better.