Father-son team new owners of Tilton Dairy Queen

TILTON — After being closed for the winter season, Dairy Queen is reopening Friday under new ownership: 23-year-old Christopher Hanson and his father John Hanson.

Christopher was inspired to pursue business by his father, who has worked in retail for 35 years, and is currently the general manager at Kohl’s. Christopher has lived in Tilton his entire life, graduating from Winnisquam Regional High School in 2018, where he took business classes that furthered his interest in being an entrepreneur. At age 14, he started a job at the Dairy Queen he would eventually own. He worked there for four years under owner Bianca Dion.

“Even when he was 14 years old, he was one of my best employees,” Dion said.

After graduating high school, Christopher left his job at Dairy Queen and attended the University of New Hampshire, where he received a bachelor’s degree in business administration in May 2022. Christopher was aiming eventually to own a business, but didn’t realize it would happen so soon. While Dion's and Christopher’s families were close — she already was considering Christopher as a potential new owner for the store — it wasn’t until Christopher interviewed Dion for a class assignment that she saw his serious interest in owning a business, particularly a franchise. She then asked him if he would take over. Christopher’s father was not surprised by this decision.

“The Dions are a great family, and they really took a liking to Chris. And they knew that he had this entrepreneurial spirit and always wants to own his own business,” John said. “So when the time was coming that they were getting ready to make that decision to sell, they said the first one they thought of was Chris.”

While Christopher was grateful for the opportunity, it came as a surprise.

“I knew long-term I'd like to own my own business,” Christopher said. “I just didn't know how quickly that this would all be coming into fruition.”

The average age of a franchisee in the United States is between 45 and 54, according to research in 2017 done by Brandon Gaille. Christopher feels prepared to take on the position, despite his age. After all, he spent the last two years since graduation as a manager, learning under Dion how to be an owner.

“I definitely know the ins and outs of making all the products, like making a cone with a curl on top,” he said. “But the last two years, I was able to really dig deep into the business itself and how to run it and how to maintain it.

"Yeah, I'm very confident.”

Christopher also believes his history with Dairy Queen motivates him to do well as the new owner. And his respect and appreciation for Dion helps motivate him to do well with this business.

“Bianca saw me from when I was 14 to when I'm 23. She got to see that progression. And I would say she played a large role in my professional development,” Christopher said. “In high school, I would see her more than I would see my parents sometimes. I go to school all day, I go to work, and then I come home and go to bed.”

Growing up in Tilton, Christopher felt he exhausted all the possibilities in his hometown. But with this new opportunity, he’s excited to continue his adult life in the Lakes Region.

“I think it's really cool that I'm able to work on a business in the community that I grew up in,” he said. “It wasn't my plan to stay around in the area, to be honest. But I'm glad that it has turned out the way it is.”

In a press release, Dion is quoted as saying, “Chris’s work ethic is unmatched and with the support of his family he will bring Tilton DQ to its next level. I am excited to watch him grow.”

Dairy Queen opens Friday, Feb. 23, at 10:30 a.m. in the drive-thru window only. The walk-up window will open next month.