Dairy Queen Giving Away Free Summer Cones... For A Price

Come tomorrow, June 21st, the first official day of summer will have finally arrived. Depending on where you live, it may or may not already feel like it, but whether you're enjoying the sun or wondering if it'll ever stop raining again, it's important to savor the simple pleasures of the year's middle months. Like ice cream. A lot of ice cream, ideally.

In the spirit of the season, Dairy Queen is offering free ice cream cones. Well, sort of. After all, nothing is truly free. Whenever the word "free" comes across the Takeout news desk, it's typically met with a healthy dose of skepticism. Aside from the annual cultural unification provided by 7-Eleven's Free Slurpee Day, there's always at least one string attached. The strings can be simple and pointless, to be sure, but they're strings all the same.

In this case, there are a pair: the cones are available by way of a coupon only accessible through DQ's mobile app, and you have to first purchase another item to get your vanilla, chocolate, or Dreamsicle cone. While it's hardly twisting arms to buy another treat from Dairy Queen (or one of their honestly-not-too-shabby burgers), the app component is a reminder of one of modern life's brief, mild inconveniences that still turn some people into Larry David upon revealing themselves. Phone space is finite, and food apps take up that precious Pokémon Go real estate.

Regardless, the deal will be available nationwide on Friday, so go enjoy your cones, everybody. Also: there is a second, separate DQ app specifically for the state of Texas, one which doesn't seem entirely too different from the primary app. A Kinja star awaits in the comments for anyone who can explain this.