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Dairy Queen
This company is a royal figure among ice cream fans. Dairy Queen is a leading franchisor of quick-service restaurants specializing in frozen treats, with outlets serving customers throughout the U.S., Canada, and 20 foreign countries. Along with ice cream, its menu also includes burgers, hot dogs, chicken, salads and sweet eats, including DQ cakes, pies, sundaes, cones, and Blizzard treats. The Dairy Queen chain was founded in 1940. American Dairy Queen is the domestic franchising arm of International Dairy Queen (IDQ), which is also parent company of Orange Julius fruit-drink outlets and Karmelkorn popcorn stands. IDQ is owned by Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway.
2010 AllStar Rank: 30
2009 AllStar Rank: 123
Full Disclosure Award
This company gets a nod for disclosing financial performance representations in Item 19 of its Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD). For an explanation of why this is important, read The Importance of Item 19 in the Franchise Disclosure Document.
Fast Facts
| Year established | 1940 |
| Franchising since | 1944 |
| Can be run from home? | No |
| Item 19 Financial Performance Representation? | Yes |
Franchise Unit Growth Rate
| Year | U.S. Franchises |
Non-U.S. Franchises |
Company-Owned Locations |
| 2011 | 4,452 | 1,384 | 62 |
| 2010 | 4,540 | 1,228 | 71 |
| 2009 | 4,535 | 1,090 | 71 |
Expanding in These Locations
| Total Investment | $1,030,000 - $1,645,000 |
| Franchise Fee | $35,000 |
| Royalty Fee | 4% - 5% |
| Net Worth | $750,000 |
| Liquid Capital | $400,000 |
| Does franchisor offer financing? | No |
| Is franchisor on the SBA's Franchise Registry? | Yes |
| Is franchisor a member of the IFA's VetFran program? | No |
| Company Type: | Subsidiary |
| Executives: | John Gainor, CEO |
| Industries: | Specialty Eateries |
| See More Industries | |
| Top Competitors: | DunkinMcDonald'sYUM! |
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