June 2, 2026 - Kivo Daily

Dairy Queen Uses Incentives to Drive Franchise Growth

Kivo Daily Staff 2 on June 2, 2026

Dairy Queen is offering a cash incentive aimed at franchise operators who open freestanding DQ Grill & Chill restaurants on a set timeline. The program encourages new development at a time when restaurant operators are evaluating construction costs, consumer spending, and formats that combine quick food service with frozen treats.

Announced in late May, the program provides eligible franchisees with a $150,000 payment after opening a new freestanding DQ Grill & Chill restaurant on schedule. Operators who open additional freestanding locations within 18 months of a prior opening may qualify for $200,000 per restaurant. The offer is available for qualifying franchise agreements approved through the end of 2026 across the United States and Canada.

The incentive appears designed to guide operators toward freestanding Grill & Chill units, including new builds and drive-through conversion buildings. These units focus on quick service, where drive-through access and standardized restaurant layouts can support multiple customer visits per day.

Grill & Chill Format Highlights

DQ Grill & Chill combines the brand’s frozen treat offerings with a menu of burgers, chicken, fries, and other quick service items. Smaller treat-only stores are part of the chain’s portfolio, but the new incentive is focused on the freestanding Grill & Chill format. This distinction provides a clear target for the program.

The Grill & Chill concept has grown steadily, increasing the number of locations from approximately 1,967 at the start of 2023 to around 1,985 at the end of 2025. The cash incentive is expected to encourage operators who can move quickly from agreement to opening.

Dairy Queen operates more than 3,200 domestic locations and over 7,800 worldwide. Franchising materials provide several Grill & Chill building models, with different seating capacities, parking layouts, and building sizes. These options allow flexibility for operators considering suburban lots, smaller parcels, or existing restaurant sites that could be converted.

Incentive Context Amid Buildout Costs

Opening a new DQ Grill & Chill restaurant involves significant financial commitments. Franchise fees are listed at $45,000, with 4 percent royalty fees and 5 to 6 percent marketing fees. Project costs for U.S. Grill & Chill locations range between $1.5 million and $2.55 million. Liquidity requirements are approximately $400,000, and net worth requirements are about $750,000 for a single unit.

The cash incentive does not cover overall construction or operational expenses, nor does it guarantee business outcomes. Instead, it provides an additional financial marker for operators completing development within the specified timeframe. Multi-unit operators may find the $200,000 follow-up incentive relevant if they already have property, construction teams, and operational management in place.

Gregg Benvenuto, vice president of franchise development for the United States and Canada, described the program as a way to support franchisees who are prepared to grow with the brand. The approach prioritizes multi-unit expansion rather than a single new location.

U.S. Market Opportunities

Dairy Queen identifies several U.S. markets for potential new locations, including Fresno, Sacramento, Tulsa, Greenville, Greensboro, Syracuse, and Baltimore. The program does not focus on a single region, which allows operators to select markets suited to their development plans.

Franchise development typically takes about 18 months from inquiry to opening, depending on property availability and the franchisee’s readiness. The incentive aligns with this timeline, rewarding on-time openings and repeat development for operators pursuing multiple sites.

Consumer behavior in some regions has trended toward value-focused dining, partly influenced by ongoing inflation and borrowing costs. Dairy Queen has offered meal deals and tested ordering technology at select drive-through locations. Freestanding Grill & Chill units with food and treat offerings provide multiple customer occasions, including meal and dessert visits, making the format adaptable to daily traffic patterns.

Program Structure and Growth Strategy

The incentive program is tied to scheduled openings and approved franchise agreements. It focuses on freestanding restaurants within the Grill & Chill format rather than more general expansion.

Operators considering the program are encouraged to evaluate costs, market availability, site suitability, and operating requirements. Dairy Queen’s approach shows an emphasis on measurable growth steps, combining financial support with clear operational expectations. The brand appears to target franchisees capable of opening multiple locations within the stated timeline, while maintaining the operational standards associated with the Grill & Chill format.

Overall, the incentive highlights a methodical approach to expansion. It provides financial support for operators who meet the company’s development criteria while also emphasizing locations that integrate food service, quick service access, and the brand’s signature frozen treat offerings.

When Personal Experience Changes the Way You Practice Law

Before Sahar fully understood family law as an attorney, she understood it as someone living through it herself. She experienced how divorce can slowly erode a person’s sense of certainty, affecting both emotional well-being and everyday routines.

That experience changed the way she approached advocacy altogether. Sahar realized clients are often carrying emotional exhaustion long before legal proceedings begin, which is why she built her practice around more than legal precision alone. She built it around humanity, steadiness, and emotional awareness.

The Emotional Fog Most Clients Enter With

One of the things Sahar noticed early in her career was how emotionally disoriented many clients feel by the time they seek legal help. Family law does not arrive during calm seasons of life. It arrives during sleepless nights, emotionally charged conversations, financial stress, and uncertainty about what comes next.

To Sahar, legal support should never intensify the emotional weight people are already carrying. During divorce and custody disputes, clients are often trying to think clearly while their personal lives feel emotionally overwhelming. What they need is someone capable of helping them move through the noise with greater clarity and steadiness.

Building a Family Law Practice That Feels Human

When Sahar founded Maknouni Family Law Firm, APC, she was intentional about building something that felt different from the traditional image many people associate with law firms. Accessibility became part of the culture she wanted clients to experience from the beginning.

She emphasizes responsive communication and systems, such as a centralized client portal, to remove unnecessary friction in situations that are already emotionally difficult. Sahar cares about these details because when someone feels overwhelmed or uncertain, access to information and communication can help restore a sense of stability and clarity.

Calmness Can Be Its Own Form of Strength

Family law often places people in survival mode. When emotions are tied to children, stability, finances, and the future, even small conflicts can escalate quickly. Fear begins influencing choices, conversations lose balance, and tension quietly takes over the room.

Sahar understands that family law requires more than legal knowledge. It requires emotional steadiness under pressure. Known for her composed advocacy and detailed preparation, she helps clients move through emotionally difficult disputes without feeling unsupported inside the process. Her focus remains on protecting people while guiding them through difficult legal transitions with care and clarity.

Learning That Real Life Continues After Courtrooms Empty

Law school taught Sahar how to navigate systems, build arguments, and advocate under pressure. But family law taught her something no textbook fully can: legal decisions continue affecting people’s lives long after hearings end.

Her background in Business Law and Management from California State University, Northridge, followed by her Juris Doctor from Chapman University Fowler School of Law, gave her a strong analytical foundation. Over time, however, she realized family law requires more than technical precision. It requires understanding the emotional realities people face while rebuilding their lives after major transitions.

The Work That Reminds Her Why Humanity Matters

Through the Harriet Buhai Center for Family Law, Sahar regularly works with people living through circumstances that cannot simply be summarized through legal language. Behind many cases are individuals trying to leave unsafe environments, regain financial stability, and protect their children while emotionally holding themselves together at the same time.

For Sahar, providing legal support in those moments is about far more than paperwork or representation. It is about helping people move from fear toward safety, from instability toward possibility. At the center of her work is a belief that no one should feel invisible while trying to rebuild their life.

In many ways, that philosophy defines everything about Sahar Maknouni’s approach to family law. She is not trying to remove emotion from the legal process. She is working to ensure people do not lose themselves inside it.

Day: June 2, 2026

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