For more than 60 years, the "Dairy Queen" system's recipe for success has been simple. It's been a combination of hard-working people who own and operate restaurants and great-tasting food and tempting treats served in our establishments. The founders of the "Dairy Queen" system were men and women who introduced a new kind of dessert treat and, in the process, developed the foundation of the franchising industry.

The phenomenal story began with a 10 cent sale of a then unnamed product on August 4, 1938, in Kankakee, Illinois. A father and son in the mix plant business in Green River, Illinois, had been experimenting with a soft frozen dairy product for some time. They contacted Sherb Noble, a good friend and customer, who agreed to run the "all you can eat" trial sale at his walk-in ice cream store. Within two hours, he dished out more than 1,600 servings of the new dessert.

When the United States entered World War II in December 1941, there were less than 10 "Dairy Queen" stores. However the brand grew to 1,446 stores by 1950 and then to 2,600 by 1955. Today, the "Dairy Queen" system is one of the largest fast food systems in the world with more than 5,900 restaurants in the United States, Canada and 20 foreign countries. The Minor Food Group today operates over 160 Dairy Queen kiosks across the country.