How much does a Dairy Queen franchise cost?
Opening a Dairy Queen franchise takes a total initial investment of $1,516,200 to $2,543,050, according to the brand's 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document. The FDD's Item 19 reports median of $1,616,437 across 55 outlets.
The FDD franchises DQ Grill & Chill restaurants, Dairy Queen®/Brazier® restaurants, and Texas DQ® restaurants. Category: Food & Beverage.
Item 7
What it costs to open a Dairy Queen franchise
The franchisor's own estimated initial investment, as disclosed in its 2026 FDD. The total is $1,516,200 to $2,543,050. Each line below carries the FDD page it was read from.
Where the money goes
The largest costs are Building, Construction and Leasehold Improvements ($800,000 to $1,400,000), Equipment (includes signs and point-of-sale systems) ($550,000 to $700,000), and Additional Funds - 3 Months ($51,000 to $198,000). Together they make up about 90% of the high-end estimate.
The initial franchise fee is $45,000, about 3.0% of the low-end total.
Our arithmetic from the Item 7 table below.
| Expenditure | Low | High | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 | $45,000 | $45,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 |
| ALTA Survey and/ | $0 | $5,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 |
| Initial Training Fees and Costs2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 | $1,200 | $12,600 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 |
| Travel and Living Expenses for Training Programs2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 | $23,000 | $42,950 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 |
| Building, Construction and Leasehold Improvements2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 | $800,000 | $1,400,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 |
| Construction Consultation Services2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 | $0 | $7,500 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 |
| Building Plans, Design Intent Plans and Architectural Seal2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 | $15,000 | $60,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 |
| Equipment (includes signs and point-of-sale systems)2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 | $550,000 | $700,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 |
| Training Inventory2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 | $6,000 | $12,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 |
| Opening Inventory2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 | $20,000 | $35,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 |
| Utility Deposits, Business Licenses and Government Charges2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 | $4,000 | $17,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 |
| Attorneys’ Fees2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 | $1,000 | $8,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18 |
| Additional Funds - 3 Months2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 19 | $51,000 | $198,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 19 |
| Total estimated initial investment2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18-19 | $1,516,200 | $2,543,050 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18-19 |
Source Dairy Queen, 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 18-19, via Public FDD bucket (storage.googleapis.com/franchiseindx_fdds) (source record). Figures read and verified 2026-09-27. Read from a scanned copy of this FDD; figures and page citations were transcribed from the page images.
Item 19
What Dairy Queen franchisees actually report earning
Median
$1,616,437
Dairy Queen's 2026 FDD, Item 19, for the 2024. Basis: Franchisee owned and operated restaurants described in the schedules.
Sample size: 55 outlets. The FDD also reports straight average of $1,648,666. We lead with the median because an average is pulled upward by the strongest outlets; the median is the middle outlet.
What the franchisor excluded from this figure
- Schedule A excludes new DQ® restaurants developed in Texas, existing DQ® restaurants that converted to the DQ Grill & Chill® restaurant’s facility design, menu and trademark by remodeling an existing DQ® restaurant or replacing an existing DQ® restaurant with a new DQ Grill & Chill® restaurant design facility either at the same site or at a new location, new DQ Grill & Chill® restaurants opened in a fuel center or other non-traditional location inside a host building such as a ferry terminal or mall, and new DQ Grill & Chill® restaurants opened under a developmental rights contract or a franchise agreement granted by a territory operator.
- Schedule B excludes restaurants for which ADQ did not receive any P&Ls with 12 full months of data during the applicable time period, P&Ls showing a variance of 3% or more from the sales reports submitted to ADQ, or P&Ls submitted to ADQ having an obvious error in the data.
This is a disclosure of what some existing outlets reported, not a projection of what a new Dairy Queen outlet would earn. Your results will differ.
Source Dairy Queen, 2026 FDD, Item 19, p. 56-58, via Public FDD bucket (storage.googleapis.com/franchiseindx_fdds) (source record). Figures read and verified 2026-09-27. Read from a scanned copy of this FDD; figures and page citations were transcribed from the page images.
Item 20
How many Dairy Queen outlets there are, and how many closed
Dairy Queen ended 2024 with 1,969 franchised outlets and 2 company-owned outlets. In that year 30 franchised outlets opened and 28 left the system.
Three years at a glance
From 2022 through 2024, Dairy Queen opened 109 franchised outlets and 92 outlets left the system. That is a net gain of 17, from 1,952 to 1,969 franchised outlets. Of the outlets that left, 92 were terminated.
On average, about 1.6% of franchised outlets left the system each year, roughly 1 in 64.
Our arithmetic from the FDD's Item 20 table below. "Left the system" counts every outlet the franchisor reports as terminated, not renewed, bought back, or closed for other reasons.
| Year | Start | Opened | Terminated | Non-renewed | Reacquired | Ceased, other | End | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1,967 | 30 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1,969 | 2026 FDD, Item 20, p. 67 |
| 2023 | 1,965 | 41 | 39 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1,967 | 2026 FDD, Item 20, p. 67 |
| 2022 | 1,952 | 38 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1,965 | 2026 FDD, Item 20, p. 67 |
Source Dairy Queen, 2026 FDD, Item 20, p. 67, via Public FDD bucket (storage.googleapis.com/franchiseindx_fdds) (source record). Figures read and verified 2026-09-27. Read from a scanned copy of this FDD; figures and page citations were transcribed from the page images.
Compare
How Dairy Queen compares with other Food & Beverage franchises
Measured against the 256 Food & Beverage franchises on this site, using each brand's own FDD.
- Cost to open. The middle of Dairy Queen's estimated range is $2,029,625. It costs more to open than 91% of Food & Beverage franchises here.
- Outlets leaving each year. 1.6% for Dairy Queen. That is lower than 86% of the 165 Food & Beverage franchises with at least 10 outlets.
- Three-year growth. Dairy Queen's franchised system grew 0.9%. The typical Food & Beverage franchise here grew 5.0%.
- Earnings disclosure. 152 of the 256 Food & Beverage franchises here publish earnings figures in Item 19. Dairy Queen is one of them.
Our arithmetic from each brand's Item 7 and Item 20. Growth and departure comparisons leave out brands with fewer than 10 outlets, where one opening or closure distorts the figures. See every Food & Beverage franchise side by side.
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