It can be difficult to find a place to eat inside the Dairy Queen near State Line Road in Niles — especially at lunchtime.

David Easterbrook, who owns the restaurant with his wife, Holly, said the lack of space forces customers to either wait for a seat to open or take their lunch to go.

“People know that we can only hold so many, so we are probably losing customers that don’t even stop because they see it is full and move on down the road to the next place,” he said. “Our fans deserve more room to sit down.”

Lack of dining space is one of the main reasons why the Easterbrooks have chosen to build a brand-new Dairy Queen restaurant.

It is not moving far — just a few steps to the south — at the site of the former Fort Auto Sales building on South 11th Street. The building was torn down last month to make way for the project, which is scheduled to begin next week.

Easterbrook said the new facility will be approximately 2,600 square feet and include 70 seats inside and 18 more in an enclosed outdoor patio. Parking will be expanded to 52 spaces.

“We are hoping they will all get filled,” Holly said. “I like to tell people we are busting at the seams here because that is how it feels.”

The Easterbooks also said the new facility will have a larger and more efficient kitchen area — another main reason for the move.

“We have a small kitchen area, so we can’t be as efficient and productive as we’d like to be,” David said. “We can be faster if we have a more efficient kitchen layout.”

The Dairy Queen will remain open at its current location throughout construction, which is expected to last 90 to 100 days.

The Easterbrooks said they hope to begin serving in the new building by early October.

“It is a big investment, but we are excited about it and I think it will be worth it for the customers and the workers,” Holly said.

David said he anticipates hiring an additional 20 to 30 employees to go with the 25 currently working there. Most are part-time positions.

“That is how much business we are expecting,” he said.

The larger space will also allow Dairy Queen to host non-profit fundraisers, according to the Easterbrooks. Although they are not certain what they will do with the current building, the Easterbrooks said they would keep the miniature golf course, which is located behind the current restaurant.

David said keeping the Dairy Queen near its current location was important, since there has been a Dairy Queen at the site since 1964.

“We thought it would be good for the community for it to stay here and for there to be a nice new building as you enter Niles (Township),” he said. “We are looking forward to it.”