---
title: "Cranston Patch: \"Years After A Tour In Afghanistan, Two Vets Team Up On RI's First Dairy Queen Grill & Chill“"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/ab16bd37-9328-4cd9-a6bf-37aed7899171
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/cranston-patch-years-after-a-tour-in-afghanistan-two-vets-team-up-on-ris-first-dairy-queen-grill-chill-2703174
category: "Snacks & dessert"
industry: "Restaurants"
segment: "Snacks & dessert"
published: 2017-07-03T22:17:01.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T03:13:11.999Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/03c6b6eee04f81fa0c4b21d5c4fa097f1220.jpg
---

# Cranston Patch: "Years After A Tour In Afghanistan, Two Vets Team Up On RI's First Dairy Queen Grill & Chill“

**TL;DR:** Damon Draught and Will Dailey, two Army veterans, are teaming up to open the first Dairy Queen Grill & Chill in Cranston, Rhode Island. Draught is a Dairy Queen franchisee and previously served with Dailey in Afghanistan.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2017-07-03. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/cranston-patch-years-after-a-tour-in-afghanistan-two-vets-team-up-on-ris-first-dairy-queen-grill-chill-2703174).*

## Story

Army buddies Damon Draught and Will Dailey served for a year together in Afghanistan, solidifying their unbreakable bond. After retiring, Draught became an International Dairy Queen , Inc. franchisee.

Years later, Draught and Dailey had lunch and hatched a plan to bring the first DQ Grill & Chill to Cranston, Rhode Island. They will break ground on the location on August 1st.

"It's kind of cool," Dailey told the Cranston Patch. "We served together in the Army, and we're partnered back up to continue that team."

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- Restaurants (sector)
- franchise expansion (topic)
- restaurant opening (topic)
- Dairy Queen (company)
- veteran-owned business (topic)
- Cranston, Rhode Island (location)

---
Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/cranston-patch-years-after-a-tour-in-afghanistan-two-vets-team-up-on-ris-first-dairy-queen-grill-chill-2703174). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/ab16bd37-9328-4cd9-a6bf-37aed7899171).