DQ Sees LA Ripe For Expansion

It looks as though Californians are going to have more chances to buy Dilly Bars and chicken strips. Minneapolis-based Dairy Queen is planning on opening 50 to 60 stores in Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside, and Orange counties in the next decade. It would be a significant step up from the brand’s 98 locations in California.

“Those four counties represent one of the most populated areas and probably one of the biggest restaurant markets in the country,” Mike Mettler, director of national franchise sales at American Dairy Queen Corp., a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, told the Los Angeles Business Journal.

The move is part of the 76-year-old chain’s nationwide push of its DQ Grill and Chill concept, which includes new locations and conversions of existing stores. All new stores will be stand-alones to accommodate drive-thru service.

DQ is opening 85 outlets this year nationally and about the same number next year. Almost all of them are anticipated to be branded as DQ Grill & Chill restaurants, which typically encompass 2,612 sq.ft., with 72 seats inside and a patio that seats 20.