The Dairy Bar at South Dakota State University has been known as the place on campus to get great-tasting ice cream, but this semester officials have added some new twists.  

The Dairy Bar recently expanded its menu. Manager Alondra Lopez said customers can now order boba milk teas, smoothies refreshers and even hot sandwiches. It’s a way the facility can offer variety, especially during colder months when ice cream sales slow down. 

“We added these because there are more students on this side of campus and we wanted to meet their requests,” Lopez said. “Before, we didn’t make food products, so people wanted more than just cold sandwiches. The hot sandwiches have been really popular, and the boba drinks have been, too.” 

Among the new items, the strawberry mango boba milk tea, mango smoothie, strawberry lemonade and dragon fruit-strawberry refresher are the top favorites, Lopez said. 

“Customers really like it. The new drinks are very popular,” she added. “We’ve definitely seen more traffic because of it.” 

Lopez said there may be more additions ahead, but nothing is set yet.  

“For now, this is it, but we’re always open to ideas,” she said. 

Freshman Ethan Hansen said he was curious to try one of the new drinks on the menu. After ordering the dragon fruit-strawberry refresher, he said it quickly became one of his favorites. 

“It’s super refreshing and tastes way better than I expected,” Hansen said. 

He added that the new options make the Dairy Bar feel ‘more like a hangout spot’ and give students something fun to try besides ice cream. 

Housed inside the Alfred Dairy Science Hall, the Dairy Bar is a favorite stop for students, faculty and visitors, offering ice cream flavors with roots deep in campus tradition and some newer additions that keep customers coming back. The shop is supplied by the Davis Dairy Plant, where 30 to 45 students work each semester to produce ice cream, cheese and butter.  

“Various local farms supply milk to the Great Plains Dairymen Association, which is where the Davis Dairy Plant gets their milk to make our ice cream,” Lopez said. 

The popular cookies and cream ice cream is not the only choice, though. Students say their favorites range from chocolate to mint chocolate chip. Professors tend to branch out, too. Mary Christensen, assistant dean for academic programs, said she goes for hobo crunch, while academic adviser Brenna Rudendall-LaVoy prefers cookie dough. 

“We have a lot of people coming from everywhere and lots of different states,” Lopez said. “They want to try the cookies and cream flavor. It’s our most popular flavor, no surprise since it was actually invented here at SDSU in the 1970s.” 

Steven Beckman, manager of the Davis Dairy Plant, said seasonal ice cream flavors also help keep things fresh.  

“Basically, we’ll follow two major seasons,” Beckman said. “During fall and winter, we’ll make special batches like peppermint or chocolate peppermint. Otherwise, we keep a standard set of flavors throughout the year.” 

Behind the scenes, the Dairy Bar faces challenges. Balancing student employee schedules at the start of each semester can be tricky, Lopez said. Beckman added that ensuring food safety and preparing students for future careers is always a priority. 

“We know our staff and students represent SDSU with each bite, and we don’t take that lightly,” Beckman said. 

The Dairy Bar is also a tourism stop in Brookings. During the summer months, Lopez said the plant hosts four to six school tours each week, drawing visitors who want to see how SDSU ice cream is made.  

Kimberly Miller, a Dairy Plant employee, said those tours, along with ice cream sales at football games and the Children’s Museum, help the Dairy Bar strengthen its ties to the community. 

“I believe it has an impact on campus and the community by bringing us all together,” Miller said. “The community comes to get ice cream and enjoy the Dairy Bar with family and friends.”  

From May through September, sales reach their highest, with the Dairy Plant producing between 500 and 1,500 gallons of ice cream per week, depending on demand. Lopez said summer’s high traffic sometimes forces staff to cut back on less popular flavors to keep up. 

As for the future, Lopez said the Dairy Bar isn’t aiming to expand much beyond its current space. Instead, the goal is to keep serving the same flavors and experiences that have made it a tradition on campus.  

“They don’t want to grow too much because the vicinity is small and we have to keep up with the sales,” Lopez said.