Dairy Queen Founded in 1940 and began franchising in 1944, Dairy Queen is currently number 58 out of the top 500 franchises. It all started when Ice Cream Manufacturer J.F. McCullough was testing a new frozen dairy product. With his recipe perfected, McCullough and his son, Alex, persuaded one of their customers to hold an introductory sale of the new soft ice cream, and more than 1,600 people showed up to try it. Based on that success, the McCulloughs opened the first Dairy Queen location in 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. Today Dairy Queen…show more content… The company also offers smoothies as well as frozen treats due to their sister company Orange Julius.
Today Dairy Queens headquarters is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The fee to franchise with DQ Grill and Chill is $35,000 with an ongoing royalty fee of 4%. A term of franchise agreement lasts 20 years until it is renewed. The total investment fee is anywhere from $779,675 – $1,729,160. The financial requirements to start a franchise are a $750,000 net worth and $400,000 available in liquid cash. About 20-100 employees are required to run a franchised unit and no absentee ownership of a franchise is permitted. Initial training fees and costs are anywhere from $750-$6,900 and training inventory is anywhere from $2,500-$5,000. Equipment, including signs and cash registers can cost anywhere from $180,000-$330,000. The fee to franchise with DQ and Orange Julius is $25,000 with a royalty fee of 5%. A term with the franchise is 15 years unless renewed. The investment range of this franchise is anywhere from $552,312 – $1, 207, 852. The liquid capital requirement is $250,000 and the net worth requirement is $500,000. Dairy Queen also has