Dairy Queen
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| Type | Wholly Owned subsidiary |
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| Founded | August 4, 1938 in Chicago, Illinois |
| Founder(s) | John Fremont McCullough |
| Headquarters | Edina, Minnesota, USA |
| Key people | Warren Buffett John Gainor (CEO); Charles J. Chapman III (COO); James S. Simpson (CFO); Michael Keller (CBO) |
| Industry | Fast food |
| Products | soft serve, hamburgers, hot dogs, and chicken |
| Revenue | $476 million (2006) |
| Owner(s) | Berkshire Hathaway |
| Parent | DQ International |
| Website | www.dairyqueen.com |
Dairy Queen, often abbreviated to DQ, is a international chain of soft serve and fast food restaurants. The name is taken from the name of their soft serve product which the company refers to as "Dairy Queen" or "DQ".
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[edit] History
The soft serve formula was first developed in 1938 by John Fremont McCullough and his son Alex. They went on to open the first Dairy Queen store in 1940 in Joliet, Illinois. While the Dairy Queen is no longer in operation, the building is still located at 501 N Chicago St.[1] Since 1940 DQ has used a franchise system to expand its operations globally. Its largest franchise is the Texas Dairy Queen Operating Council which runs the majority of DQ locations in the state of Texas. Dairy Queen International is the parent company of Dairy Queen. In the US it operates under the American Dairy Queen title.[2][3] It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway. At the end of its fiscal year 2006, Dairy Queen reported over 5,600 stores in more than a dozen countries; about 4,600 of its stores (or approximately 85%) were located within the United States.[2][3][4]
DQ was an early pioneer of food franchising, with the 10 stores of 1941 expanding to 100 by 1947, 1,446 in 1950, and 2,600 in 1955. The first store in Canada opened in Melville, Saskatchewan in 1953. The present Dairy Queen logo was introduced in 1959. The company became "International Dairy Queen, Inc." (IDQ) in 1962. It was acquired by Berkshire Hathaway in 1998. During the 1950s and 1960s, Dairy Queens in the small towns of the Midwestern and Southern United States were a center of social life. In that role they have often come to be referenced as a symbol of life in small-town America, as for instance in Walter Benjamin at the Dairy Queen: Reflections at Sixty and Beyond by Larry McMurtry, Dairy Queen Days by Robert Inman, and Chevrolet Summers, Dairy Queen Nights by Bob Greene. Some of the popular items on the Texas menu include the Hunger-Buster and Belt-Buster hamburgers. Bob Phillips, host of the popular Texas syndicated television series Texas Country Reporter, was for many years the DQ spokesman in Texas. Dairy Queen appears in many small Texas towns, such as Baird, Devine, Jacksboro, and Hamilton, and uses the nickname "The Texas Stop Sign" to illustrate its presence.
[edit] Today
With 5,700 restaurants in 22 countries as of 2005, Dairy Queen is one of the largest soft serve franchises in the world.
[edit] Stores
The company's stores are operated under several brands, all bearing the distinctive Dairy Queen logo and carrying the company's signature soft-serve ice cream (along with the trademark "curl").
[edit] Dairy Queen
Stores which serve a very abbreviated menu primarily feature DQ frozen treats. These locations may be open only during spring and summer; many year-round locations are located in shopping malls.
So-called "Limited Brazier" locations may additionally offer hot dogs, barbecue beef (or pork) sandwiches, and in some cases french fries and chicken, but not hamburgers.
The largest Dairy Queen restaurant is in Portland, Texas. This small town didn't always own this claim to fame—the original building was constructed in the late 70's and later redesigned in the mid 90's to make room for weekly meetings and events that local organizations and clubs would host. The newly added sitting area offers a southern ambiance. The remaining area of the restaurant carries on the corporate look and feel of other DQ’s. Drive-thru access is still made available.
[edit] DQ / Orange Julius
Also known as the "Treat Center" concept, an enhanced version of the original DQ also serves drinks and foods from the Orange Julius menu. This is the company's preferred concept for new, small-scale locations.
[edit] Dairy Queen Brazier
Stores serve a normal fast-food menu featuring burgers, french fries, and processed fried chicken products in addition to frozen treats and hot dogs. Due to the protracted rollout of the Grill & Chill concept, Brazier restaurants have been allowed to sell certain products originally restricted to G&C, including GrillBurgers.
The "Brazier" name has been slowly phased out of signage and advertising since 1993, although until recently it had not been removed from existing signage. Since the early 2000s, new or renovated locations which are similar to Brazier restaurants in terms of size and menu selection, but have been updated with the current DQ logo and/or exterior, usually carry the name "DQ Restaurant".
[edit] DQ Grill & Chill
This is DQ's preferred concept for new and renovated full-service restaurants. Stores are larger than older-style DQ Brazier locations and feature a completely new store design. In most cases, they offer an expanded menu including breakfast, GrillBurgers, and grilled sandwiches, as well as limited table service (customers still place orders at the counter).
[edit] Texas Country Foods
Most locations in Texas, including those which otherwise resemble the Brazier or Grill & Chill formats, use a separate menu branded as Texas Country Foods. Among other differences, "Hunger-Buster" burgers are available in place of the Brazier and GrillBurger offerings.
The Texas Dairy Queen Operating Council is the largest of all Dairy Queen franchises. Texas is home to the largest number of Dairy Queens in the U.S. The TXDQOC runs a separate marketing website from the national website, located at www.dqtexas.com.
[edit] Other stores
DQ also operates the Karmelkorn and Orange Julius brands, the latter often appearing adjacent to DQ's. DQ's current franchising efforts are primarily to open shopping mall outlets and Grill & Chill stores.
[edit] Products
The company's products expanded to include malts and milkshakes in 1949, banana splits in 1951, Dilly Bars in 1955 (they had lime), Mr. Misty slush treats in 1961 (later renamed Misty Slush, then again to Arctic Rush), and a range of hamburgers and other cooked foods under the Brazier banner in 1958. Other popular items include sundaes and the blended coffee drink, the MooLatte, controversial because of its resemblance to the racial descriptor Mulatto.[5]
Dairy Queen's one hundred (as of 1997) Japanese stores offered hamburgers, but competition from McDonald's made the chain switch to pita sandwiches.
The majority of Dairy Queen locations serve Pepsi products, but unlike most other restaurants such contracts are not mandated onto the franchisee, and as a result some locations serve Coca-Cola products instead. Subway (until 2003) and Arby's (until 2006) also allowed such leniency on beverage choice before signing exclusive soft drink deals with Coca-Cola and Pepsi, respectively, making Dairy Queen the last major restaurant chain without an exclusive soft drink contract.
That said, the current preference for Pepsi products at DQ is in conflict with its parent company's large interest in The Coca-Cola Company. Berkshire Hathaway is one of Coca-Cola's largest single shareholders, with 8.6%.
[edit] The Blizzard Treat
A very popular Dairy Queen treat today is the Blizzard Treat, which is soft-serve mechanically blended with add-in ingredients such as sundae toppings and/or pieces of cookies, brownies, or candy. It has been a staple on the menu since its introduction in 1985, a year in which Dairy Queen sold 175 million Blizzards.[6] The Blizzard was invented by Richard, Ronald, and Ralph Medd of Iowa. It is traditionally served upside down to prove the thickness. The most popular Blizzard flavors include Oreo Cookies, chocolate chip cookie dough, M&M's (Smarties in Canada), Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, Heath bar, Kit Kat, and Butterfinger. Seasonal flavors are also available such as November's Pumpkin Pie and the Cotton Candy Blizzard.[7] It has been argued that Dairy Queen drew its inspiration from the concrete served by the St. Louis based Ted Drewes.[8]
In addition, Dairy Queen is marketing its new Blizzard Cake which includes flavors such as strawberry cheesecake and Reese's. Much like the restaurant's conventional ice cream cake, this variation is aimed toward celebrations and birthdays.[9]
[edit] Advertising
For many years the franchise's slogan was "We treat you right!" During the late 1990s, the slogan "Hot Eats, Cool Treats" was widely used. In recent years, it has been changed to "DQ something different."
In Texas, at the end of the advertisement, there is a Texas flag waving, and the Texas state with the new DQ logo and slogan below saying, "That's What I Like About Texas."
Dennis the Menace appeared in Dairy Queen marketing from 1971 until 2001, when he was dropped because Dairy Queen felt children could no longer relate to the comic strip character.[citation needed]
Dairy Queen commercials often featured vast landscapes made out of ice cream or other various treats. This helped inspire Van Orman to create The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack.
Currently, the advertising focuses on a mouth with a large set of lips, resembling the Dairy Queen Logo. This mouth is often advertising Dairy Queen's products using his quick wit and sense of humor.
[edit] Logos
Evolution of the Dairy Queen since its founding in 1955:
 1955-1961, still in use in some locations |
 1961-2000, still in use in most DQ locations and signs. |
 2001-2007, still used on some signs. Generally the same as the previous but the wording is shortened to the initials, 'DQ'. |
[edit] DQ Tour
In 2008, Dairy Queen started a promotional sponsorship. It launched the "DQ Tour", a professional golfing association which saw competitors play for a blizzard. The first match was won Joel Tansey over Roy Sidnell, played at Carlisle Golf Club.
In 2009, the DQ Tour officials announced they would not be renewing the Camisle Championship. On June 13th, 2009, Roy Sidnell won the 1st annual Camisle Cup over Joel Tansey, 4 and 3. The last Camisle Championship was described as 'epic.'
Many high profile golfers such as Andrew Sidnell and Graham Sharp have attempted to earn their DQ Tour cards but have failed miserably each time. Both Golfers were, however, given a temporary card to play in the first ever DQ Doubles championship. Graham Sharp and Joel Tansey won this event in a dramatic playoff as the Sidnell's collapsed on the final two holes. The board of governors are currently reviewing the prospect of staging another doubles event during the 2009 season.
June 28th , 2009 marked the 1st annual Jay's Ice Cream (JIC) Championship. The match play finals saw a 9 hole bout between #1 ranked player Roy Sidnell and #2 ranked Joel Tansey. Many people will remember this one for its epic finish. Many fans were left to wonder what more could they ask for. Through 6 holes, Joel Tansey had a 2 UP lead, from steady fairway to green golf. However, it was short lived when Sidnell took the next two holes. In the 9th and final hole, Sidnell missed a 6 foot par putt that resulted in a sudden death playoff. After a poor Tee shot left him in the deep rough on the first playoff hole, Tansey attempted to hit a 5 wood instead of safely pitching out to the fairway. A double bogey ensued and Roy Sidnell took the first annual JIC and his second title of the 2009 season.
"I still am in shock that I did that. I just can't believe that I did that. I am such an idiot." Tansey said after the tournament was over.
Tansey will look to regroup at the first major of the season, the Carlisle Championship.
[edit] Global locations
| Countries currently with Dairy Queen locations: | ||
|---|---|---|
Country formerly with Dairy Queen locations:
Japan (Withdrew around 2000)
Austria (Withdrew around 1999)
Slovenia (Withdrew in the nineties)
Saudi Arabia (Withdrew by 1996)
[edit] References
- ^ The DQ Team History of Dairy Queen
- ^ a b Hoovers.com. "International Dairy Queen". Hoovers.com. http://www.hoovers.com/dairy-queen/--ID__13811--/free-co-factsheet.xhtml. Retrieved on 2007-09-26.
- ^ a b Hoovers.com. "American Dairy Queen". Hoovers.com. http://www.hoovers.com/american-dairy-queen/--ID__121544--/free-co-factsheet.xhtml. Retrieved on 2007-09-26.
- ^ Hoovers.com. "Berkshire Hathaway". Hoovers.com. http://www.hoovers.com/berkshire-hathaway/--ID__10206--/free-co-factsheet.xhtml. Retrieved on 2007-09-26.
- ^ [1]
- ^ DQ publication. "A Story of Sweet Success". Dairy Queen International. http://www.dairyqueen.com/en-US/About+Dairy+Queen/corporate/history/defaulthtm. Retrieved on 2007-07-17.
- ^ DQ Advertisement (2007-11-01). "Blizzard of the Month". Dairy Queen of America. http://www.dairyqueen.com/us-en/eats-and-treats/blizzard-of-the-month/. Retrieved on 2007-11-11.
- ^ Blizzard approximates St. Louis original concrete | Gazette, The (Colorado Springs) | Find Articles at BNET
- ^ The Blizzard Fan Club. "DQ Blizzard Fan Club: History of the Blizzard". Dairy Queen International. http://www.blizzardfanclub.com/contest/history.cfm. Retrieved on 2006-05-19.[dead link]
- Caroline H. Otis, et al. The Cone With the Curl on Top: The "Dairy Queen" Story. International Dairy Queen Inc., 1990.
- S.E. Hinton.The Outsiders 1967
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Dairy Queen |
- Dairy Queen Consumer website
- History of Dairy Queen
- Texas Dairy Queen Operators Council
- Dairy Queen Philippine Website
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