---
title: "Trending this week: Dairy Queen is giving cash to franchisees that open new locations"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/f78f115b-a993-4e54-b37b-e57e83bb5f23
source: "Nation's Restaurant News"
original_url: https://www.nrn.com/restaurant-franchising/trending-this-week-dairy-queen-is-giving-cash-to-franchisees-that-open-new-locations
category: "Snacks & dessert"
industry: "Restaurants"
segment: "Snacks & dessert"
topics: ["Development & multi-unit"]
published: 2026-06-02T20:20:00.000Z
modified: 2026-10-31T13:18:17.894Z
image: https://eu-images.contentstack.com/v3/assets/bltea7aee2fca050a19/blt4cb310dd3a2f7a9d/6a1f3b8623a341b5c4964e1e/trending_0602.png?width=1280&auto=webp&quality=80&disable=upscale
---

# Trending this week: Dairy Queen is giving cash to franchisees that open new locations

**TL;DR:** Dairy Queen is offering a $150,000 cash incentive to franchisees who open new Grill & Chill units on time. Fertitta Entertainment is acquiring Caesars Entertainment in a $17.6 billion deal.

*originally published in Nation's Restaurant News on 2026-06-02. [Read the original](https://www.nrn.com/restaurant-franchising/trending-this-week-dairy-queen-is-giving-cash-to-franchisees-that-open-new-locations).*

## Story

This week on Nation's Restaurant News, the top story was “Dairy Queen is giving cash to franchisees that open new locations.” The Minneapolis-based treat chain said on Wednesday announced a new incentive program, giving franchisees who open one of the brand’s Grill & Chill fast-food units a $150,000, lump-sum payment, provided they open the location on time.

In other news, Tilman Fertitta is about to add a lot more hotels and casinos to his hospitality empire. The business mogul’s Fertitta Entertainment has a deal to acquire the giant Caesars Entertainment in a deal valued at $17.6 billion, comprised of $5.7 billion in cash and $11.9 billion in assumed debt.

Also, so much for Starbucks using AI to count the milk in its inventory. The coffee shop giant said it is ending its use of an automated program to count inventory. The company said the decision was designed to shift to a single, consistent process for all its inventory counts.

## Entities

- unit expansion (topic)
- QSR (sector)
- Nation's Restaurant News (publication)
- Starbucks (company)
- acquisition (topic)
- Dairy Queen (company)
- hospitality industry (topic)
- incentive program (topic)
- Caesars Entertainment (company)
- Fertitta Entertainment (company)
- Tilman Fertitta (person)
- Fertitta Entertainment acquisition of Caesars Entertainment (deal)

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Originally reported by Nation's Restaurant News (https://www.nrn.com/restaurant-franchising/trending-this-week-dairy-queen-is-giving-cash-to-franchisees-that-open-new-locations). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/f78f115b-a993-4e54-b37b-e57e83bb5f23).