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The real numbers on owning a Dairy Queen franchise
Quick Service Restaurant (Ice Cream/Fast Food) · FDD 2026 · from public state filings
DDisclosure honesty
This franchisor discloses earnings (Item 19) — but read how.
Investment
$623,000–$2,782,200
Total fees
7% of sales
Outlets
74
Closure signals
0 ceased, 0 terminated
Lawsuits
4
What their own earnings claim actually says
Discloses only gross sales (high/low/avg/median) for 40 freestanding DQ Grill & Chill in MT/ND 2024. Excludes treat stores, mall/strip locations, seasonal units. No profitability, no expenses, no owner income data provided.
Honesty grade D: the disclosed numbers are incomplete or framed to look better than an owner's real take-home.
Failure & turnover reality (Item 20)
Zero terminations/ceased operations 2024 in MT/ND; systemwide Texas DQ shrinking 11 units in 2024.
Legal history (Item 3)
4 matters disclosed.
Get the full Dairy Queen validation report — $149
The franchisor won't put real owner profit in writing. We do — reconstructed from their own FDD.
Franchisor's framing: Discloses only gross sales (high/low/avg/median) for 40 freestanding DQ Grill & Chill in MT/ND …
🔒 Real estimated owner take-home (low / median / high) — unlocked in the report
Reconstructed owner P&L — net take-home after royalty, ad fund, rent, labor & debt
Break-even timeline + cash-on-cash ROI on your investment
Full fee stack + required-purchase markups
Decoded real failure / closure rate
How it ranks vs comparable franchises
Validation-call playbook — who to call + the exact questions
The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $623,000–$2,782,200, including a $25,000 initial franchise fee.
How much do Dairy Queen franchise owners make?
Discloses only gross sales (high/low/avg/median) for 40 freestanding DQ Grill & Chill in MT/ND 2024. Excludes treat stores, mall/strip locations, seasonal units. No profitability, no expenses, no owner income data provided. We grade this disclosure D for honesty.
What is the Dairy Queen franchise failure rate?
Zero terminations/ceased operations 2024 in MT/ND; systemwide Texas DQ shrinking 11 units in 2024.
Is a Dairy Queen franchise worth it?
It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. Dairy Queen scores D on disclosure honesty, carries about 7% of sales in ongoing fees, and discloses 4 legal matters. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
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Source: MN CARDS 35458-202603-03 (Clean FDD 2026). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with Dairy Queen or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.