In a business that requires both money and commitment, Marion hasn’t found both at the same time.

Investors who agreed to set up a Dairy Queen restaurant have backed out, economic development director Terry Jones said last week.

“Last fall when I started working on this, I had them both interested, but I didn’t have anybody to be franchisee,” Jones said. “It popped back up this spring, and now it’s flipped.”

Since the Marion County Record ran an article about the possible franchise, several people have come forward to inquire about running it.

Now that the commitment is there, the money to back the operation is gone.

“It’s a setback, but it means we can pursue other places now,” Jones said. “It doesn’t have to be a Dairy Queen.”

The city is looking for more restaurants, Jones said. He hopes to do so without putting current businesses at risk. A recent feasibility study conducted by a hotel franchising firm cited restaurants as a need.

“It’s tricky because it’s competition,” Jones said. “But it’s a known fact. One of the cons to Marion is we don’t have enough restaurants. We need one, and it’s something I’m working on.

“Getting a pizza place going in next to Gambino’s isn’t something I want, but, let’s say, a Chinese restaurant or something. Yeah, that’d be a good priority.”