Dairy Queen is a global quick-service restaurant franchise known for soft-serve ice cream, frozen treats, burgers, and sandwiches. The brand operates one of the world's largest networks of ice cream and fast-food restaurants.
Founded 1940 · dairyqueen.com →
The Dairy Queen franchise requires a total investment of $1.15M – $2.44M with a 4.0% royalty fee and operates 4,400 units in the QSR category. This report analyzes the full Franchise Disclosure Document including unit economics, fee structure, growth trends, and risk indicators to help you evaluate the cost of investing in Dairy Queen.
Critical issues identified from FDD analysis that warrant serious consideration before investing.
Composite quality score based on growth, stability, efficiency, fees, transparency, and system size.
Estimated initial investment range as disclosed in the most recent FDD.
Related Franchise Investments:
| Line Item | Low Estimate | High Estimate |
|---|---|---|
| Total | $1,150,000 | $2,440,000 |
Ongoing fees as disclosed in the FDD.
| Fee Type | Rate | Type | Basis | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royalty Fee | 4.0% | PCT | Gross Sales | Monthly |
| Advertising Fee | 5.0% | PCT | Gross Sales | Monthly |
Financial Performance Representations not disclosed by this franchisor
Approximately 40% of franchisors choose not to include Item 19 financial performance data in their FDD. This does not necessarily indicate poor performance -- it simply means the franchisor has elected not to disclose this information.
Model your personal financial scenario by adjusting the assumptions below.
Automated risk indicators based on FDD data analysis.
How Dairy Queen compares to peer brands in the QSR category.
Ratio = Investment midpoint ÷ median annual revenue. Lower is better. A 0.5x ratio means the initial investment equals half of one year's gross revenue. Does not account for operating costs, margins, or time value of money.
| Brand | Total Units | Investment Range | Median Revenue | Royalty | Inv/Rev Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subway | 19502 | $263K – $630K | No Item 19 | 8.0% | -- |
| McDonald's | 12772 | $1.47M – $2.64M | $3.00M | 5.0% | 0.7x |
| Dunkin' | 8499 | $527K – $1.83M | No Item 19 | 5.9% | -- |
| Domino's Pizza | 7043 | $120K – $462K | $20K | 5.5% | 14.9x |
| Wendy's | 5552 | $1.41M – $2.90M | $2.33M | 4.0% | 0.9x |
| Burger King | 5524 | $1.80M – $3.30M | $1.67M | 4.5% | 1.5x |
| Dairy Queen | 4400 | $1.15M – $2.44M | No Item 19 | 4.0% | -- |
| Little Caesars | 3705 | $446K – $1.82M | No Item 19 | 6.0% | -- |
| KFC | 3558 | $135K – $540K | $1.35M | 5.0% | 0.2x |
| Arby's | 3400 | $313K – $3.45M | $1.39M | 4.0% | 1.4x |
SBA 7(a) loan approvals for Dairy Queen franchisees from the SBA FOIA public dataset. Lenders report franchise codes at origination — this is real lending activity, not estimates.
Source: SBA FOIA 7(a) public data. Franchise codes matched by brand name. Not all SBA loans are captured; some franchisees finance without SBA programs.
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