Quick Verdict · who it fits
American Dairy Queen Corporation fits first-time franchise buyers looking for a mature food & beverage concept.
The numbers a buyer needs first — straight from the filing.
Initial investment (Item 7)
$1.5M - $2.6M
Franchise fee (Item 5)
$45K
Royalty (Item 6)
4% + 5–6% ad
Item 19 median rev
$1.41M
System size (Item 20)
1,985 +38
Years in business
64+ yrs
Company-owned units
2
Data extracted from the 2026 FDD filed with state regulators. Fees and terms may have changed since filing — request the current FDD from the franchisor before deciding. Not legal, financial, or investment advice. Full disclaimer.
Drag to your projected annual sales. Royalty 4% + ad fund 5–6% on gross sales.
PROJECTED ANNUAL SALES$1,410,000
$100k$2.6M
Royalty (4%)
—
Ad fund (5–6%)
—
Total / year
—
▪ Of-sales fees only · excludes rent, labor, COGS, and one-time costs · for illustration
Free AI summary — the first read on the filing.
1,983 DQ Grill & Chill® franchised units
Total units open
14 net new units
Units opened last year
1,969 at start of 2025; 1,983 at end
24 terminations + 1 reacquisition
Units closed/terminated last year
net 38 units closed/non-renewed activities
+14 uni
Net unit growth
What our analysis flagged across the 2026 filing.
4
Risks to review
3
Strengths identified
4
Questions to ask
How American Dairy Queen ranks against 561 Food & Beverage peers we've analyzed.
Initial investment
94th pct · of 561 peers
Franchise fee
74th pct · of 561 peers
System size
95th pct · of 561 peers
Food & Beverage industry averages
Avg investment
$594K - $1.4M
Avg franchise fee
$44K
Avg system size
346
Franchises analyzed
561
Closest concepts by category and investment.
| Brand | Item 19 | Fee | Investment | Royalty | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Dairy Queen | Disclosed | $45K | $1.5M - $2.6M | 4% | 1,985 |
| Lee'sSimilar price | Disclosed | $35K | $1.3M - $2.6M | 5% | 92 |
| Doctor's AssociatesBiggest system | Disclosed | $15K | $227K - $630K | 8% | 18,773 |
| Vintage Hospitality GroupTop-rated in category | Disclosed | $50K | $3.5M - $6.4M | 5.5% | 33 |
Free explainers to go deeper before you sign.
American Dairy Queen Corporation requires a $45,000 initial franchise fee and a total initial investment range of $1,510,100–$2,550,100, per the most recent FDD on file.
Yes. American Dairy Queen Corporation discloses Item 19 financial performance representations with reported revenue around $1,413,799. See the financials sub-page for the full distribution.
Franchisees pay a royalty of 4% and an advertising fund contribution of 5.0% to 6.0% on gross sales as defined in Item 6 of the FDD.
As of their 2026 FDD, American Dairy Queen Corporation has 1,985 total locations, with 38 new locations opened in the most recent reporting year. This information comes from Item 20 of the FDD.
This page is part of VetMyFranchise. View all pages: llms.txt · llms-full.txt