Dairy Queen is an ice cream store and fast food restaurant chain with locations throughout the United States and the rest of the world. The chain serves a variety of products such as American fast food favorites, its signature soft-serve ice cream, as well as other frozen products. The establishment refers to its food as “fan food”, not fast food. The restaurant started out in the 1940s with a newly introduced dessert treat, and soon expanded into a successful fast food franchise. The chain has been in operation for over seventy years.

Dairy Queen is also known as DQ®. Its franchise system’s recipe for success is a combination of the hardworking people who own and operate restaurants along with delicious food and desserts served at the DQ establishments. The company’s mission statement is “to create positive memories for all who touch DQ®.” It’s vision statement is “the world’s favorite quick service restaurant.” The establishment has always been a great place for families to get together and celebrate with each other while enjoying great food. The restaurant’s satisfied customers have led to the success of the chain. Today, DQ is one of the largest fast food systems in the world.

History

The concept first started on August 4 1938 in Kankakee, Illinois. John Freemont McCullough and his son Alex McCullough were experimenting with a soft frozen dairy product. The father and son duo contacted Sherb Noble who agreed to run a trial sale at his ice-cream store. Mr. Noble served over 1600 servings of the new dessert within two hours and the trial sale was a success. Noble and McCullough opened the first store in Joliet, Illinois in 1940. This location is no longer operating, but the building still stands on N. Chicago Street in the state of Illinois.

The restaurant has expanded globally over the years through its franchising system. The chain has over 6000 locations throughout the world. Locations within the U.S. are in the following states: Alaska; Arkansas; Alabama; Arizona; California; Colorado; Connecticut; Delaware; Florida; Georgia; Hawaii; Iowa; Idaho; Illinois; Indiana; Kansas; Kentucky; Louisiana; Massachusetts; Maryland; Maine; Michigan; Minnesota; Montana; Missouri; Mississippi; North Carolina; North Dakota; Nebraska; New Hampshire; New Jersey; New Mexico; Nevada; New York; Ohio; Pennsylvania; Rhode Island; South Carolina; South Dakota; Tennessee; Texas; Virginia; Washington; Wisconsin; and West Virginia.

Most restaurants are located in the state of Texas. There are international locations in twenty different countries. The first location in Canada opened in 1953 in Melville, Saskatchewan. Other international locations include: Bahamas; Bahrain; Brunei; Cambodia; Cayman Islands; China; Costa Rica; Egypt; Guatemala; Guyana; Indonesia; Jamaica; Kuwait; Laos; Mexico; Macau; Oman; Panama; Philippines; Poland; Qatar; Saudi Arabia; Singapore; Thailand; Thailand; Trinidad and Tobago; Vietnam; and the United Arab Emirates.

The restaurant’s parent company is Dairy Queen International, Inc. which operates as American Dairy Queen Corporation in the United States.  Dairy Queen International, Inc. was acquired by Berkshire Hathaway in 1998. The company is currently a wholly owned subsidiary in Berkshire Hathaway. The establishment’s headquarters are located in Edina, Minnesota. The establishment is also very involved in its communities. It is involved with programs such as Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, DQ® Cares Product Grant Program, and various local community partnerships, which involve programs such as student discounts and product donations.

Review

The establishment serves a variety of American fast food favorites, such as hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken, and French fries. The restaurant also serves salads, sandwiches, and various types of sides. However, the establishment is known for its soft serve ice cream and other frozen treats. Examples of such frozen treats include milkshakes and sundaes. The frozen treats also include the famous blizzards, such as the chocolate chip cookie dough blizzard, salted caramel truffle blizzard, and the Butterfinger blizzard treat. The frozen treats range from $2 to $5.

There are many different types of chicken items on the menu. These items range from $2 to $8. The chicken items include crispy chicken wraps, chicken strip baskets, crispy and grilled chicken sandwiches, and chicken snack melts. The salads include chicken garden greens, chicken BLT salads, and side salads. Salads are priced between $2 and $7. Sandwiches include the chicken bacon ranch, chicken mozzarella, and the Turkey BLT.  The sandwiches are priced between $3 and $5. The chain also offers $5 buck lunches.

There are also a variety of delicious burgers and hot dogs served as combos. These combo items are priced between $5 and $7. The individual regular hot dogs and the Chili Cheese dogs are between $2 and $3. The Grillburgers include the bacon cheese grillburger, flamethrower grillburger, cheese grillburger, and mushroom Swiss grillburger.  The grillburgers are between $3 and $4. The sides, which include fries, onion rings, and cheese curds, are priced between $2 and $6. Hot desserts are between $3 and $4, and include the triple chocolate brownie, the apple tart, and the fudge stuffed cookies. Beverages include Orange Julius and hand-spun beverages.

The stores are generally open between 6:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. Since the restaurant is a casual fast food store, it does not need to take reservations. The store offers dine-in as well as take-out options. It does not provide delivery. There are some products that are found in every location, while there are some products that are only found at a few. These products tend to be the regional specific products or optional menu items. The restaurants are generally clean. The service is quick and friendly. Favorites include the ice cream and milkshakes. The burgers and hot dogs are also highly recommended. This establishment is a great place for families to get together and enjoy delicious ice cream as well as other American favorites.