Fergus Falls Native Buys Iconic Dairyland, Plans Family Return for 71st Season

Rachel Larson grew up in Fergus Falls. Now she owns Dairyland.

Larson, who has been living in Montana, completed the purchase of the downtown drive-in from longtime owners Pat and Jean Connolly, with the announcement coming April 3. The deal sets up a handoff in time for Dairyland's 71st season, which opens Wednesday, April 15.

"We're excited to be back in the community," Larson said. "My younger two kids will be going to school here and all three of my boys will work in the business as well."

The sale resolves a succession search that began when the Connollys placed the property on the market late last year. In Larson, they found a buyer who plans to run Dairyland as a family operation: her three sons are expected to staff the restaurant, and the family is relocating from Montana this summer.

Pat Connolly called the outcome a win for the city. "Fun, exciting things lie ahead and Fergus Falls gets to have Dairyland remain part of the community," he said.

The Connollys are not stepping away immediately. They will continue working alongside Larson through approximately June, spending roughly a month on a direct transfer of operations and institutional knowledge before fully handing off. That overlap is designed to keep things steady for staff and customers during the restaurant's first weeks under new ownership.

For seven decades, Dairyland has served as a seasonal anchor for downtown Fergus Falls, a place where the arrival of burgers, fries, and soft-serve marks the unofficial start of summer. The prospect of a corporate sale or outright closure had been a real one when the property hit the market, which makes this outcome something more than a routine transaction.

By the time Larson's two youngest enroll in Fergus Falls schools this fall, she will have her family working the same counter that has fed generations of their future classmates.