---
title: "Rockford Register Star: Successful DQ Grill and Chill Model Fuels Further Expansion in Illinois"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/7829acf3-5a9b-42eb-9218-5a72952a1f16
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/rockford-register-star-successful-dq-grill-and-chill-model-fuels-further-expansion-in-illinois-4933
category: "Casual dining"
industry: "Restaurants"
segment: "Casual dining"
topics: ["Development & multi-unit"]
published: 2016-06-14T22:17:47.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T13:05:21.100Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/ba8ae7a4f8548fb2d6e07ea1e361a1d95560160822161803.png
---

# Rockford Register Star: Successful DQ Grill and Chill Model Fuels Further Expansion in Illinois

**TL;DR:** Dairy Queen is expanding in Illinois using its DQ Grill and Chill model, which was pioneered by local franchisee Pat Hartman. The model has been successful, with about 1,600 restaurants in the US following it.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2016-06-14. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/rockford-register-star-successful-dq-grill-and-chill-model-fuels-further-expansion-in-illinois-4933).*

## Story

A local business man has played an instrumental role in *Dairy Queen’s*® development and is one reason why the corporation is looking to expand its reach and roll out new restaurants throughout Illinois.

The *DQ Grill and Chill*® model is the vehicle for the expansion. About 1,600 restaurants in the United States follow the model and offer fast food along with the more traditional cold treats, according to the corporation.

Pat Hartman, who owns the *DQ Grill & Chill* at 2222 S. Perryville Road, and another in Loves Park on East Riverside, was the first franchisee to take on the new model in the early 2000s.

Hartman has owned *Dairy Queen* shops since the late '70s, so when the corporation decided to test out a new restaurant model they chose him to pioneer the new *Grill & Chill* concept in Rockford.

“I owned three (*Dairy Queen* locations) at the time and was looking to do something different,” Hartman said. “The test market is kind of a neat thing. Everything is brand new – the idea, the building, the equipment, everything.”

That kind of quick expansion was exactly what the company was looking for, said *Dairy Queen* Vice President of Operations Lon Brew.

“Pat and the other franchisees banded together to really elevate the market,” Brew said. “We’ve seen success from the very beginning and as a result, have been expanding throughout the country and we have gotten to where we are looking to expand in other areas and Illinois is one of them.”

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- Restaurants (sector)
- unit expansion (topic)
- franchise model (topic)
- Dairy Queen (company)
- restaurant concept (topic)

---
Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/rockford-register-star-successful-dq-grill-and-chill-model-fuels-further-expansion-in-illinois-4933). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/7829acf3-5a9b-42eb-9218-5a72952a1f16).