Franchise Factbook
Dairy Queen (DQ Grill & Chill)

Dairy Queen (DQ Grill & Chill)

Partial FDD data
QSR/Dessert · Minneapolis, MN · Founded 1940 · Franchising since 1940
Extraction not scoredUnclaimed profile
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Total to open · Item 7
$1.5M–$2.5M
Franchise fee · Item 5
$45,000
Included in the total above
Owner turnover
Awaiting Item 20 extraction
Factbook Score
Pending
Only 1 year(s) of Item 20 outlet history on file
✓ No bankruptcy disclosures7 litigation disclosures · Item 3No Item 19 earnings dataPre-confidence-scoring extractionWhy these flags?

Beyond the filing

Everything else on this page is quoted from Dairy Queen (DQ Grill & Chill)'s franchise disclosure document. This is not — it is measured off the open web, it is not verified by the franchisor, and it never affects the Factbook Score.

Customer rating
4.1 / 5
13,320 Google reviews across 19 locations
Best to worst location
2.9 – 4.6
Where this brand's locations sit on the same scale — the gap is what varies between franchisees
Website health
7 / 10
Basic checks. Issues here: redirects before it loads, missing title or description
Store locator
Not detected
The site renders its navigation in JavaScript, so we can't tell
iPhone app
None found
No App Store listing matched this brand
Android app
None found
No Play Store link on their site — an app they don't link from their homepage would read the same way
Google returns at most twenty locations for a search, so the rating is a sample of Dairy Queen (DQ Grill & Chill)'s outlets rather than all of them. Measured Sep 11, 2026.

Seen advertising or featured on: Franchising.com featured page. Noted for provenance — paid placement elsewhere has no bearing on anything shown here.

Research this brand properly

Every figure on this page comes from Dairy Queen (DQ Grill & Chill)'s own disclosure filings, source linked. Compare it against its category before any discovery call — and read the FDD with an attorney before signing anything.

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Get introduced to Dairy Queen (DQ Grill & Chill)

We pass your details to their franchise development team so they can contact you directly. We are not a broker, we are not paid per introduction, and your details are never sold to a lead network.

Where you'd want to open — territory availability is the first thing they'll check.

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Claim Dairy Queen (DQ Grill & Chill)

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Reviewed by a person. We record the time and IP — privacy policy.
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Franchise Factbook · verified
Opening a Dairy Queen (DQ Grill & Chill): $1.5M–$2.5M
From its official FDD · franchisefactbook.com
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Data-integrity flags on this profile
  • infook
These figures predate our extraction-confidence scoring

They were captured before we began scoring extraction confidence, so we can't put a number on them. They remain sourced — the filing is linked below. We publish the score rather than hiding it — see the methodology.

Royalty
4%
+ 6% brand fund
Franchised units
1971
As of 2024
3-yr unit growth
CAGR from Item 20

What it really costs

Every cost figure this brand's filing discloses — not just the headline range

Total initial investment · Item 7$1.5M–$2.5M
$0$3.0M
ExpenseLowHigh
Initial franchise fee$45,000$45,000
Total initial investment$1,516,200$2,543,050

Item 7 reports a total range, not a full line-item breakdown, in this brand's filing excerpt — the franchise fee is the only cost we can show separately today.

Costs more to open than 94% of food and beverage franchises on this site with a disclosed Item 7 range (372 compared). Computed from total investment, not a figure from the filing itself.

Earnings disclosure

Does the franchisor share performance data? No

This brand's filing does not include an Item 19 financial performance representation. That's common — a large share of franchisors disclose nothing here — but it means you should ask for unit-level economics directly during discovery calls. Compare against food and beverage brands that do disclose one.

Legal history

CLEAR
No bankruptcy disclosures for the franchisor or its officers.
7 CASES
4 pending cases (Oakland Family Restaurants/Lake Area Restaurants v. ADQ - 6th Cir. affirmed for ADQ Mar 2025; 2-MNA LLC v. ADQ - MN, injunction denied Feb 2025; ADQ v. UAM LLC - TX, preliminary injunction granted, jury trial set May 2025; Project Lonestar Inc v. ADQ - TX, filed Feb 2025) and 3 concluded cases settled for $25,000-$425,000.
NOT EXCLUSIVE
Item 12 does not grant an exclusive territory.
NOT DISCLOSED
Non-compete term/radius wasn't separately quantified in the filing excerpt we have on file.

Openings, closures & reacquisitions

The numbers ranking sites don't show — straight from the brand's filings

OpenedClosed / terminated / not renewedReacquired
0002024

Tell me when Dairy Queen (DQ Grill & Chill) files something new

Franchisors refile every year, and fees, investment ranges and closure counts move between filings. We'll email you when this brand's figures change — nothing else, and never a sales sequence.

Tell me when these brands file something new

Fees change, disclosure documents get refiled, and outlet counts move every year. We'll email you when any of your 1 saved brand changes — Dairy Queen (DQ Grill & Chill). This is the only time your shortlist leaves your browser, and no franchisor is told you are watching them.

The Factbook Brief

Fee changes, closure-rate movers, and one honest brand teardown. One email a week. We never sell your address see how we make money.

Common questions

Answered from this brand's own FDD filing. Where the filing is silent, the question is left out rather than answered with a guess.

How much does a Dairy Queen (DQ Grill & Chill) franchise cost?

Dairy Queen (DQ Grill & Chill)'s most recent Franchise Disclosure Document puts the total estimated initial investment at $1.5M–$2.5M. That is Item 7, which covers everything needed to open — the franchise fee, build-out, equipment, opening inventory and initial working capital. The initial franchise fee itself is $45,000, and is included in that range.

What royalty does Dairy Queen (DQ Grill & Chill) charge?

Dairy Queen (DQ Grill & Chill) charges a continuing royalty of 4% of gross sales, disclosed in Item 6. A separate brand or advertising fund contribution of 6% applies on top. Royalties are charged on revenue, not profit, so they are owed whether or not the outlet is profitable.

Does Dairy Queen (DQ Grill & Chill) give a protected territory?

No. Dairy Queen (DQ Grill & Chill)'s Item 12 does not grant an exclusive or protected territory, which means the franchisor may place another outlet nearby.

Facts on this page are sourced from Dairy Queen (DQ Grill & Chill)'s Franchise Disclosure Document.

Item6_brand_fund_pct reflects the 'Sales Promotion Program Fee' disclosed as 5%-6% of gross sales (midpoint 5.5% used as a stated range, not an estimate - see facts). Item 20 figure of 1,971 is the DQ Grill & Chill U.S. outlet count as of 12/31/2024 only (a snapshot from a summary table, not a multi-year Item 20 table); DQ Treat (727), Texas DQ (568), international (2,853), Orange Julius (11) and Canada (706) counts were also shown but are separate brand/format lines, not prior-year comparatives, so excluded from item20_by_year. Item 17 and full Item 19 figures were referenced in the document but not captured in the fetched text; would need a follow-up fetch of the full PDF to fill in.