“Why dine with a clown when you can (dine) with a queen?” asked the letter board on a Dairy Queen road sign in Marshfield, Mo., this month.
The dig at McDonald’s is one in a string of “sign wars” between the two fast-food chains, a battle that has now drawn in a handful of local businesses in Marshfield, a city about 30 miles east of Springfield.
The Marshfield Area Chamber of Commerce first shared news of the “sign wars” in a Facebook post on July 15. That post has since garnered more than a million views and drawn the attention of national media including Today, People and Buzzfeed.
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McDonald’s kicked things off with a straightforward proposal: “Hey DQ! Wanna have a sign war.” DQ upped the ante with a solid burn: “We would but we’re too busy making ice cream.” Not to be topped, the home of Ronald McDonald fired back: “That’s cute. Our ice cream makes itself.” Fans of the McFlurry will likely enjoy DQ’s response: “You mean it actually works shocker.”
As word of the “sign war” spread in Marshfield, local businesses took to their road signs and marquees to get in on the battle. Gault & Co. Realty and Stevens Auction Service posted on their shared road sign: “Sign war? We’re just here for the show.” Arvest Bank asked for a status report: “Just CHECKING in on the sign war.” Arvest also weighed in on the ice cream debate: “Ice cream machine broken? We have a loan for that.”
Not to be out-punned, Las Cazuelas Restaurant taped up a neon green poster board proclaiming: “Nacho average sign. P.S. – We have fried ice cream.”
Take a virtual tour of the Marshfield sign war below — and let us know what you think about this battle of the brands in the comments.
