Mall of America files to evict Dairy Queen over unpaid rent

Mall of America has filed to evict Dairy Queen from the shopping center after the ice cream shop franchisee stopped paying rent, court records show.

The Dairy Queen, located on the east side of the mall’s second floor, has been in business since 2006 and entered a five-year lease renewal in 2018. Now Mall of America is asking a judge to order the franchisee to leave the space and pay its outstanding rent.

According to a civil complaint filed in Hennepin County last week, the Dairy Queen franchisee, Non-Typical Companies, Inc., hasn’t paid rent since January and owes Mall of America almost $75,000.

Ron Hendrickson, who owns the franchise, told 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS his family has been in the Dairy Queen business for 68 years and held three separate locations at Mall of America over the years.

He says contracted business hours made it difficult to stay profitable.

“Many businesses have left and continue to leave Mall of America,” Hendrickson said. “The mall cut hours by 40 per month and still charged the same amount of rent.”

Hendrickson added that he had offered to finish the remainder of the lease and take his equipment and sign to another location.

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS reached out to an attorney representing Mall of America for comment.