DQ Grill & Chill Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a DQ Grill & Chill franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2026), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
DQ Grill & Chill discloses earnings (Item 19) — but the grade is how honestly. We graded it B.
What their own earnings claim actually says
Schedules A & B show sales data (2022-2025) and expense breakdowns for freestanding new DQ Grill & Chill restaurants. Excludes conversions, non-traditional sites, territory operators. Warning: No earnings guarantee; franchisees responsible for own projections.
What a DQ Grill & Chill franchise actually costs to run
| Fee | Disclosed | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $45,000 | Item 5 — paid up front, before you open |
| Total initial investment | $1,510,100 – $2,550,100 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
Initial fee $45,000 (two payments). Item 6 deleted for North Dakota. State-specific fee modifications apply. Sales promotion fee 2.5% per settled case.
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
DQ Grill & Chill system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 2,028 |
| Ceased operations | 24 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 24 |
| Transferred to new owners | 116 |
| Closure rate | 1.2% of outlets |
2025: 24 terminations, 24 ceased operations, 48 excluded from sales reporting.
From Item 20 of the FDD 2026. Terminations and ceased operations are the franchisor's own count of owners who stopped — the number the sales pitch leaves out.
Is DQ Grill & Chill worth it? — how it compares to 436 similar franchises
| Startup cost | from $1,510,100 | pricier than 92% of peers |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade B | more honest than 84% of other franchises franchises |
| Closure rate | 1.2% of outlets | about average |
| Disclosed lawsuits | 6 | more litigious than 86% of peers |
Benchmarked against every other franchises franchise we've graded from public FDDs — the context the franchisor's pitch never gives you.
Owner take-home for a DQ Grill & Chill
The franchisor's framing: Schedules A & B show sales data (2022-2025) and expense breakdowns for freestanding new DQ… We reconstruct what an owner actually keeps, from their own FDD.
- Reconstructed owner P&L — net take-home after royalty, ad fund, rent, labor & debt
- Break-even timeline + cash-on-cash ROI
- Full fee stack + required-purchase markups
- Decoded real failure / closure rate
- How it ranks vs comparable franchises
- Validation-call playbook — the exact questions to ask
See a full sample report → · 30-day guarantee
DQ Grill & Chill franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a DQ Grill & Chill franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $1,510,100–$2,550,100, including a $45,000 initial franchise fee.
- How much do DQ Grill & Chill franchise owners make?
- Schedules A & B show sales data (2022-2025) and expense breakdowns for freestanding new DQ Grill & Chill restaurants. Excludes conversions, non-traditional sites, territory operators. Warning: No earnings guarantee; franchisees responsible for own projections. We grade this disclosure B for honesty.
- What are the DQ Grill & Chill franchise fees?
- DQ Grill & Chill's FDD discloses a $45,000 initial franchise fee. Initial fee $45,000 (two payments). Item 6 deleted for North Dakota. State-specific fee modifications apply. Sales promotion fee 2.5% per settled case.
- What is the DQ Grill & Chill franchise profit margin?
- DQ Grill & Chill does not publish a franchisee net-profit margin — almost no franchisor does. What Item 19 actually shows: Schedules A & B show sales data (2022-2025) and expense breakdowns for freestanding new DQ Grill & Chill restaurants. Excludes conversions, non-traditional sites, territory operators. Warning: No earnings guarantee; franchisees responsible for own projections. Recurring fees alone take about a fixed cut of gross sales, before rent, labor, food or debt service. Margin has to be reconstructed from the disclosure, not read off it.
- What is the DQ Grill & Chill franchise failure rate?
- 2025: 24 terminations, 24 ceased operations, 48 excluded from sales reporting.
- How many DQ Grill & Chill locations are there?
- DQ Grill & Chill's FDD reports 2,028 total outlets, with 24 that ceased operations in the most recent reporting year and 116 transferred to new owners. Item 20 is where system health shows up before the marketing does.
- Does DQ Grill & Chill have complaints or lawsuits?
- DQ Grill & Chill discloses 6 legal matters in Item 3 of its FDD. Item 3 covers the franchisor's litigation history, which is the closest thing to a public record of how it treats franchisees — read the case descriptions, not just the count.
- Is a DQ Grill & Chill franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. DQ Grill & Chill scores B on disclosure honesty, and discloses 6 legal matters. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
Own a DQ Grill & Chill? Add your real numbers (anonymous)
We publish only aggregated benchmarks — never your name. Contribute and we'll show you how your numbers compare.
Compare DQ Grill & Chill to similar franchises
See all franchises ranked by disclosure honesty →
Source: WI DFI Franchise Registration (2026). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with DQ Grill & Chill or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.