Quality Dairy – St. Joseph Highway

23 11 2009
  • 6400 W. St. Joseph Highway
  • Lansing, MI 48917
  • (517) 319-4124
  • Website

If you would have told me two years ago one of the things I would miss most about Lansing was Quality Dairy, I would have called you crazy.  From the outside, these stores look like the typical convenience store.  Inside?  Not much different…at least until you dive into their unique goodies. 

For me, most Quality Dairy stops were Pepsi stops.  The thing I really loved about QD is that there’s almost always one near where you are.  I could actually plan a trip somewhere and know that I could stop for a 32 oz. pop on my way and not have to deal with the gas station hassle of everyone in front of you buying cigarettes and the clerk not knowing which package is which.  It was almost always a quick in and out.

My second day of work in East Lansing ended pretty late.  It was after 10:00 by the time I started heading back to my hotel.  I thought about grabbing a pizza in East Lansing, but I was tired and not really wanting to deal with Friday night crowds in a college town, so I just drove.  I didn’t want fast food again, but I really wanted a Pepsi.  Read the rest of this entry »

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Quality Dairy – W. Saginaw Hwy & Migaldi Ln.

9 07 2009
  • 8512 W. Saginaw Highway
  • Lansing, MI 48917
  • (517) 622-1533
  • Website
Quality Dairy on W. Saginaw Highway in Delta Township

Quality Dairy on W. Saginaw Highway in Delta Township

It’s been another five weeks, so while J was at the salon, I was running errands.  For once, I actually had a lot that I needed to do.  I’ve been putting off a lot just so I could keep busy.  My route today was Walmart, Game Stop, Cartridge World, Target, Meijer then off to lunch.  After my first two stops, I started to get thirsty.  It was 12:30 and I had yet to have my morning Pepsi.  As I was leaving the Walmart area, I remembered there was a QD just down the street so I took a left instead of a right and went to get my Pepsi.

This Quality Dairy is on West Saginaw Highway west of I-69.  It’s near the Art Van on that side of the road across from where Menard’s and Walmart are.  This store is one of the Quality Dairy’s that have a gas station out front. 

The parking lot is pretty large and I just took a spot kind of far away.  While it’s a huge area, the gas pumps are jammed up against the building, so there’s not much room to maneuver after leaving the pumps.  Read the rest of this entry »





Quality Dairy – Saginaw & Cedar

17 04 2009
  • 500 E. Saginaw Street
  • Lansing, MI 48906
  • (517) 319-4120
  • Website
The Quality Dairy on Saginaw Street at Cedar Street in Lansing.

The Quality Dairy on Saginaw Street at Cedar Street in Lansing.

Guess what?  I needed a Pepsi.  I left Oldsmobile Park after a heartbreaking Lugnuts lost and I was really thirsty.  I knew there was a Quality Dairy close that I hadn’t been to so I turned the truck around and headed to the Quality Diary.

This Quality Dairy is on the corner of East Saginaw and North Cedar Streets.  There is actually an entrance off Larch Street as well, but you have to go through a large parking lot to get to the building.

The building is weird.  The Saginaw Street side sits pretty close to the road.  There’s just enough room to park along side the building and the door looks more like a back door than an entrance.  There are no windows along that side of the street, but it is actually an entrance.  The Cedar Street side looks more like the main entrance with the typical store front.

I didn’t know any better and that’s where I parked.  When you go inside, the liquor section is off to the left and there’s a cash register back there as well. The fountain pop machine was just off to the right, so I grabbed my cup and filled up. 

I didn’t eat anything at the ballpark, so I was also really hungry.  I had considered just getting a cold meat sandwich like I did a few weeks ago at the QD in Charlotte, but as I was walking to the register, I noticed some pizza that was being sold by the slice.  The price was only $1.25 a slice, so I grabbed a paper boat and put a couple slices in there. Read the rest of this entry »





Quality Dairy – Michigan Avenue

12 04 2009
  • 2400 E. Michigan Avenue
  • Lansing, MI 48912
  • (517) 319-4125
  • Website
Quality Dairy on East Michigan Avenue in Lansing.

Quality Dairy on East Michigan Avenue in Lansing.

After less than four hours of sleep, I needed more Pepsi.  I don’t do coffee, so another 44 oz Pepsi is the next best thing.  I had just picked up a breakfast sandwich from GrandRiver Coffee Cafe and they didn’t have any regular cola, so I had to make other arrangement.  Sure, I could have went to the QD on Michigan Avenue in East Lansing, but how would the QD tour roll on if I did that?

The next closest Quality Dairy is on East Michigan Avenue at North Foster Avenue.  It’s another corner location, but it’s also a mini-strip mall.  It shares a building with another business. 

It was a hopping Saturday morning at the Quality Dairy.  The store was packed with people picking up coffee, doughnuts, and their morning paper.  I actually missed the fountain soda machine at first.  I was expecting it to be in the middle of the room, but it was all the way on the far wall.  Conveniently enough, right next to the doughnut case. 

The funny thing about this Quality Dairy is the logo’s on the machine.  The Pepsi logo is from the 80’s.  It was probably five logos ago.  I had a little chuckle.  The rest of the logos were also from days long gone.  I filled up my cup and then glanced at the doughnuts.  As good as they looked, I had already ate and was trying to get by on the cheap.  I already spent more money than I would have liked to in two days of working, so I kept walking and paid for my pop which was actually cheaper than the one I bought at Speedway earlier in the day.





Quality Dairy – Pennsylvania & Kalamazoo

7 04 2009
  • 400 S. Pennsylvania Avenue
  • Lansing, MI 48912
  • (517) 319-4102
  • Website
The Quality Dairy on Pennsylvania and Kalamazoo

The Quality Dairy on Pennsylvania and Kalamazoo

The QD tour continued today.  I was on my way downtown to pick something up when I drove by a Quality Dairy I hadn’t stopped at yet.  I was thirsty and was already contemplating a Speedway stop for a Pepsi.  Yeah, I could have got the Speedy Rewards points had I went to Speedway, but I would have had to go out of my way a little bit. 

This Quality Dairy is on the corner of Pennsylvania and Kalamazoo Street.  The address is Pennsylvania, but the front of the store faces Kalamazoo.  It’s a small corner lot that is made even smaller with the gas pumps.  There are a couple pumps which today, actually had gas almost 20 cents cheaper than any place else I passed.  I should have topped off my tank, but that’s not me.

The inside of the store is small and kind of crowded.  It’s not one of the bigger, nicer stores. I found the fountain soda machine and grabbed a cup to get my Pepsi.  Right behind me wa the roller grill items.  How come those never look good to me?  Anyway, I topped off my Pepsi and went to pay.  The price wa $1.05.  Not as good as a Circle K Polar Pop, but on par with everyone else.

This shop is pretty typical of the Quality Dairy’s in the older neighborhoods.  It has all the QD favorites, but the store is small and not nearly as nice as some of the newer ones.  Who cares though?  You can still get donuts, ice cream and an Arctic Freeze.





Quality Dairy – Charlotte

27 03 2009
  • 686 Lansing Street
  • Charlotte, MI 48813
  • (517) 541-0738
  • Website
Quality Dairy on Lansing Street in Charlotte

Quality Dairy on Lansing Street in Charlotte

I told you I was working on getting to every Quality Dairy store.  Actually, this time it was kind of necessity.  I had to work in downtown Lansing at 6:00.  As soon as I got done, I was hitting the road to work in Champaign, IL again this weekend.  I had to make the four hour drive to my parents house that night.  Work took a lot longer than I had anticipated and I ended up leaving at 9:00.  By the time I left, I had to pee.  I hadn’t eaten since lunch and I was really thirsty.  As I got on I-496, I thought to myself, “Self!  Where I can I accomplish all three tasks in one stop?’  The answer was easy.  Quality Dairy.

The Quality Dairy in Charlotte sits right off I-69.  I see it everytime we pass through Charlotte on our way home.  It’s a large store with gas pumps and a laundromat as well as the typical Quality Dairy staples. Read the rest of this entry »





Quality Dairy – Saginaw & Robins

26 03 2009
  • 4500 W. Saginaw Highway
  • Lansing, MI 48917
  • (517) 319-4113
  • Website
Quality Dairy on Saginaw & Robins in Delta Township

Quality Dairy on Saginaw & Robins in Delta Township

My tour of Quality Dairy’s continue.  One of these days, I’m going to make it to all of them.  It’s just one of those stupid things that I do.  Once I get started, there’s no stopping me.

I was out in the Delta Township area killing time as J was getting her haircut.  I had to make a trip downtown after I dropped her off, but on my way back, I finally stopped to get a pop.  Most people need coffee in the morning to get going.  Not me.  I need a pop.  If I had things my way, it would be a Pepsi.  When I’m at home, it’s Coke Zero.  Since I was out, it was going to be a Pepsi.

This Quality Dairy is on the corner of Saginaw Highway and Robins Road in Delta Township.  Getting in is a little tricky as the store sits on a corner and the parking lot is pretty small.  The inside of the store is typical convenience store layout.  The ice cream counter is right near the door and the fountain pop is right across from that.  I grabbed a plastic cup and filled it up with Pepsi. mmmmmm……Pepsi.

I still miss my Circle K.  The same size pop costs only $0.69 there.  At QD, the 32 oz. costs $1.05.  It’s still much better than buying a bottle.





Quality Dairy – E. Jolly Rd.

21 02 2009
  • 2625 E. Jolly Road
  • Lansing, MI 48910
  • (517) 272-1628
  • Website

This coming Tuesday is Fat Tuesday….and everyone knows what that means!  Paczki’s!  Alright, I’ll admit it.  Up until about a year ago, I had never heard of a paczki.  J grew up on the south side of Chicago which has a fairly large Polish population, so the Fat Tuesday treat was something she grew up with.  Last year on the Monday before Lent, J and I took my mom to Chicago and while we were eating lunch downtown, J started talking about paczki’s.  My mom likes sweets so we found a Polish bakery on the north side of town and brought home a dozen.  This past weekend, I was at a mega mart with my mom and grandma when I saw a box of paczki’s….of course, we had to buy them.

In the last couple days, we had seen commercials for Quality Dairy and L & L Food Centers advertising that they both had the pastry in their stores.  After eating lunch and a quick shopping trip, we needed dessert, so it was off to the Quality Dairy.

We chose the Quality Dairy on East Jolly Road at Dunkel Road because it was on the way home.  This location is bigger than the other QD’s we’ve been to.  Not only does it have all of the great Quality Dairy baked goods, but it also has a gas station and a laundromat.  How great of an idea is that.  You can throw a load of laundry in then go next door and get a doughnut.  I’m usually happy if the laundromat has a pop machine so I can get a Pepsi while my clothes are washing. Read the rest of this entry »





Quality Dairy – Michigan Ave, East Lansing

9 02 2009
  • 808 Michigan Avenue
  • East Lansing, MI 48823
  • (517) 319-4121
  • Website
The Quality Dairy on Michigan and Harrison in East Lansing.

The Quality Dairy on Michigan and Harrison in East Lansing.

I’m having a hard time driving past a QD nowadays.  I left McDonald’s with two sandwiches and nothing to drink.  I knew I could go back the way I came and find a Quality Dairy and get whatever I wanted to drink.
This Quality Dairy is on the corner of Harrison and Michigan Avenue in East Lansing near the Michigan State University athletic facilities.  Getting in to the parking lot is a little weird.  If you’re on Michigan Avenue, you turn into the lot on what looks like a sidewalk.  It’s so close to the corner, you wouldn’t think there would be a driveway there. 
This QD is really no different from any of the other ones in town.  The building is a little smaller than some and the inside is a little cramped, but you still get all the doughnuts, coffee, and ice cream.  Read the rest of this entry »




Quality Dairy – South Cedar

14 01 2009
  • 2600 S. Cedar St.
  • Lansing, MI 48910
  • (517) 272-1522
  • Website

The Quality Dairy store on South Cedar Street in Lansing.

I’ll tell you what…we’re becoming QD converts.  J and I left Grumpy’s Diner on Mt. Hope and headed over to Cedar Street.  J wanted something warm.  These single digit highs are definitely not fun. 

We were heading towards McDonald’s on South Cedar when we came up to a Quality Dairy.  J asked if they had coffee.  I said I’m sure they did….I knew they had hot chocolate.  She asked if I wanted a hot chocolate and I was so frozen I could barely answer, but I managed to unfreeze my jaw enough to say yes, so J said it it was better to support a local business than a McDonald’s and of course, I agreed.  I made a quick right into the Quality Dairy parking lot.

The particular Quality Dairy is on the corner of Cedar and Greenlawn Avenue.  I don’t know if I’ve just never paid attention or of this store is bigger.  We were in the market for something hot.  I spotted the hot chocolate machine and grabbed a cup.  Other than hot chocolate, they had flavored cappuccino, regular coffee and a few other coffee flavors.  I went with a 20 oz. hot chocolate.  J mixed the fat free vanilla cappuccino and hot chocolate in a little bit bigger cup. Read the rest of this entry »