--- title: "American Dairy Queen Corporation Climbs the Ranking on Entrepreneur Magazine’s 41st Annual Franchise 500® List" url: https://burnaze.com/article/18536fe5-9e7e-466d-a383-1b712c1d9cf5 source: "Franchising.com" original_url: https://www.franchising.com/news/20200122_american_dairy_queen_corporation_climbs_the_rankin.html category: "Snacks & dessert" industry: "Restaurants" segment: "Snacks & dessert" published: 2020-01-22T12:00:00.000Z modified: 2026-11-01T04:10:58.309Z image: https://imgs.franchising.com/brands/social/dairyqueen.jpg --- # American Dairy Queen Corporation Climbs the Ranking on Entrepreneur Magazine’s 41st Annual Franchise 500® List **TL;DR:** American Dairy Queen Corporation ranks #16 on Entrepreneur Magazine's Franchise 500 list, solidifying its position in the QSR industry. The company is focused on building freestanding drive-thru restaurants and offers a business model with site selection intelligence, seasoned business consultants, and ongoing marketing support. *originally published in Franchising.com on 2020-01-22. [Read the original](https://www.franchising.com/news/20200122_american_dairy_queen_corporation_climbs_the_rankin.html).* ## Story “We’re coming out of an exciting year, and there’s tremendous potential for us to continue this momentum in 2020,” said Julie Davis, Director of Franchise Sales and Development U.S. “With menu innovation, new local store marketing programs and a top-notch support system in place, the Dairy Queen® brand is on track to grow even more with new and existing franchise partners. After nearly 80 years, we’re still one of the most recognizable and stable systems to invest in…we’ll always be a household name.” The key factors that go into the evaluation include costs and fees, size and growth, support, brand strength, and financial strength and stability. Each franchise is given a cumulative score based on an analysis of more than 150 data points, and the 500 franchises with the highest cumulative scores become the Franchise 500® in ranking order. “The 500 companies on this list all have something in common: They understand what consumers want now,” says Jason Feifer, editor in chief of Entrepreneur. “They may be an upstart in a brand-new category, or they may be a brand like Dunkin’ that’s ranked highly on our list for decades. But either way, making our list means they’re forward-thinking, nimble, and closely in touch with their customers’ needs - because in an ever-changing business environment, that’s what a franchise must do to thrive.” DQ Grill & Chill® restaurants offer a full line of fresh, high-quality food and frozen treats to delight fans of all ages. Moving forward, ADQ is focused on building freestanding drive-thru restaurants. The investment for this model ranges from $1,101,025 to $1,859,625, which includes the initial $45,000 franchise fee but does not include the cost of land. The industry leading DQ Grill & Chill® business model, includes site selection intelligence, seasoned business consultants and ongoing marketing support. It is designed to attract individuals and operating teams with a strong business acumen, proven ownership experience, an interest in multi-unit franchising and a net worth of at least $1,000,000. To view the Dairy Queen® brand in the full ranking, visit www.entrepreneur.com/franchise500. Results can also be seen in the January/February 2020 issue of Entrepreneur. International Dairy Queen Inc., (IDQ), based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, is the parent company of American Dairy Queen Corporation and Dairy Queen Canada, Inc. Through its subsidiaries, IDQ develops, licenses and services a system of more than 7,000 locations in the United States, Canada and 25 other countries. IDQ is a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (Berkshire) which is led by Warren Buffett, the legendary investor and CEO of Berkshire. For more information visit www. DairyQueen.com. For 40 years, Entrepreneur Media Inc. has been serving the entrepreneurial community providing comprehensive coverage of business and personal success through original content and events. Entrepreneur magazine, Entrepreneur.com, and publishing imprint Entrepreneur Press provide solutions, information, inspiration and education read by millions of entrepreneurs and small business owners worldwide. To learn more, visit entrepreneur.com. Invest in a Dairy Queen® franchise opportunity and immerse yourself in familiarity. We invite you to get started today. Success has never been so sweet. ## Entities - Franchising.com (publication) - Restaurants (sector) - Entrepreneur (publication) - franchise ranking (topic) - franchise opportunity (topic) - Dunkin' Brands (company) - expansion plans (topic) - business model (topic) - qsr industry (topic) - Jason Feifer (person) - American Dairy Queen Corporation (company) - Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. (company) --- Originally reported by Franchising.com (https://www.franchising.com/news/20200122_american_dairy_queen_corporation_climbs_the_rankin.html). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/18536fe5-9e7e-466d-a383-1b712c1d9cf5).