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Dairy Queen Franchise

Quick-service restaurant serving ice cream, hot dogs, hamburgers and chicken

Ice cream manufacturer JF McCullough was experimenting with a recipe for a new frozen dairy product, stemming from his belief that ice cream tasted better when it was soft and served fresh from the freezer, not frozen solid. With his recipe perfected, McCullough and his son Alex approached one of their customers about holding an introductory sale of the new soft ice cream. At the first sale, more than 1,600 people lined up to try the new ice cream.

Based on that initial success, the McCulloughs opened the first Dairy Queen location in 1940 in Joliet, Illinois. The first stores sold only soft-serve ice cream--in sundaes, take-home pints and quarts, and cones--but over the years, a variety of ice cream treats were added to the menu, such as banana splits and Dilly Bars.

In the 1950s, some Dairy Queens began serving hot food items. Today, stores systemwide have menus that include hot dogs, hamburgers and chicken strips through Dairy Queen's Brazier concept. Franchisees can operate a Dairy Queen with or without a Brazier. The company also offers its Treat Center concept, a store that sells items from the three franchise companies it owns--Dairy Queen, Orange Julius and Karmelkorn.

Please Note: The operators of Dairy Queen, may not have verified the accuracy of the Franchise information contained within this website. For accurate up-to-date information, customers are strongly recommended to visit the official Dairy Queen website.

Dairy Queen Start-up Costs & Franchises Fees

How much does it cost to open a Dairy Queen Franchise?

Total Investment: $382,000-$1,828,000
Initial Franchise Fee: $20,000-$35,000
Royalty Fee: 4-5%
Advertising Fee: N/A
Term of Agreement: Varies

How to contact Dairy Queen

Dairy Queen News

Dairy Queen Inks Deal To Open 15 Locations In Guatemala
Dairy Queen, an international retail food and treat category leader, is expanding into Guatemala. The company has signed an agreement with franchisee Grupo Buen Rollo to open 15 locations throughout Guatemalaby 2015. Owned by Berkshire Hathaway, the Dairy Queen system also has 11 locations in the Ce... more

Dairy Queen Ad Strikes Gold With Mary Lou Retton
Dairy Queen breaks out the big guns in honor of National Ice Cream Month. Its latest commercial in the "So Good It's RiDQulous" campaign features Olympic gymnast Mary Lou Retton. In the spot, the DQ manager spokesperson explains that at Dairy Queen "we don't just have piñatas... more

167 Great Franchise Bets
Loan failure rate: 3% Number of loans: 172 Number of failed loans: 5 Dairy Queen has a fan in Warren Buffett. The billionaire investor gave the franchise his vote of confidence when his company, Berkshire Hathaway, bought it in 1998. The franchise, which focuses on dairy desserts and fast fo... more

Dairy Queen's Ad Strategy Employs Whimsy To Win Over Gen X
Generation X is Dairy Queen's new sweet spot. Parents with young children have always been the ice cream maker's target audience, though they've usually fallen in more than one age group. But for now, Dairy Queen's primary target falls squarely within Generation X: parents roughly... more

Dairy Queen Simplifies Pci Compliance
Dairy Queen Corporation has teamed up with SecureConnect to release new customized packages designed to address PCI requirements – and simplify the compliance process – for franchisees. Dairy Queen and SecureConnect expanded their relationship with the tailor-made PCI compliance solutions, as wel... more

View all Dairy Queen Press Releases

Franchise History

When did the first Dairy Queen open? 1940
When did Dairy Queen start Franchising? 1944

Year	U.S.A.	Canada	International	Corporate
2004	4803	570	327	65
2003	4839	564	326	66
2002	4912	546	281	65
2001	4947	544	313	62
2000	5042	538	333	59

Expansion Plans

International:

Financing Options

Expense	In-House	Third Party
Franchise Fee	No	No
Startup Costs	No	No
Equipment	No	No
Inventory	No	No
Accounts Receivable	No	No
Payroll	No	No

Training & Support

Support
Newsletter, Meetings, Toll-free phone line, Grand opening, Field operations/evaluations, Purchasing cooperatives

Marketing
Co-op advertising, Ad slicks, National media, Regional advertising

Business Operations

International franchisees required to buy multiple units/master licenses

Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 20 - 40

Absentee ownership of franchise is allowed.

Qualifications & Business Experience

Business Experience:

Industry experience

General business experience

1 Other Franchises in this Family

• Orange Julius of America

Related Franchise Categories

• Hamburgers/Hot Dogs Franchise Opportunities
• Ice Cream, Yogurt & Smoothies Franchise Opportunities
• Franchises $250K to $500K

Listing Tags

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Legal Disclaimer: This information is not a franchise offering for Dairy Queen and should not be construed as such. TheFranchiseMall.com makes every effort to maintain accurate franchise data but does not guarantee nor assume liability for incorrect data. We recommend that anyone seriously interested in pursuing a Dairy Queen franchise opportunity, review that franchise's Federal Disclosure Document (FDD) with an attorney and accountant.