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FDD Year-over-Year Comparison

Dq FDD: What Changed from 2025 to 2026

The 2026 Dq FDD moves the Item 7 estimated initial investment range from $549,100–$1,604,700 to $548,700–$1,595,350, and the system grows from 727 to 743 outlets (+2.2%) year-over-year. Neither filing includes an Item 19 financial performance representation.

Source: SD & WI state filings · Updated August 2026 · ClearlyFDD

Item 7 — Estimated Initial Investment

2025 FDD2026 FDDChange
Low end of range$549,100$548,700−$400 (−0.1%)
High end of range$1,604,700$1,595,350−$9,350 (−0.6%)
Full range$549,100–$1,604,700$548,700–$1,595,350

The 2026 filing puts the Item 7 estimated initial investment at $548,700–$1,595,350, against $549,100–$1,604,700 in the 2025 filing. The low end moves by −$400 (−0.1%) and the high end moves by −$9,350 (−0.6%), narrowing the band from $1,055,600 to $1,046,650.

2025 filing: Item 7 provides separate totals for Captive-venue and Street locations; the overall range shown on the cover page aligns with the Street-location total high end and Captive-venue total low end. 2026 filing: Initial investment totals differ by location type (Captive-venue vs. Street) in Item 7.

Item 20 — System Size (Outlet Count)

2025 FDD2026 FDDChange
Total outlets (Item 20)727743+16 (+2.2%)
Franchised outlets727745+18 (+2.5%)
Company-owned outlets00unchanged
Openings during the year02+2
Closures during the year2131+10

Dq reports 743 outlets in the 2026 FDD, against 727 in the 2025 filing — a change of +16 (+2.2%).

Outlet counts as each filing states them — 2025: As of December 31, 2024; 2026: Year ended December 31, 2025. Item 20 includes direct-licensed outlet tables (which combine DQ® Treat, Dairy Queen®/Limited Brazier®, and soft-serve only) and separately provides subfranchised territory-operator outlet tables that are not independently verified by ADQ.

Item 19 — Financial Performance Representations

Neither the 2025 nor the 2026 Dq filing includes an Item 19 financial performance representation.

Item 6 — Ongoing Fees

2025 FDD2026 FDDChange
Standard royalty rate5%5%unchanged

The standard royalty rate holds at 5% of Gross Sales across both filings.

2025 filing: Defined in Item 6; due on or before the 10th day of each month for the previous month. 2026 filing: Defined in Item 6; conversions and renewals have special rules per footnotes.

Frequently asked questions

Did the cost to open a Dq franchise change in the 2026 FDD?

The 2026 FDD for Dq states an Item 7 estimated initial investment of $548,700–$1,595,350, against $549,100–$1,604,700 in the 2025 filing. The low end moves from $549,100 to $548,700 (−$400 (−0.1%)) and the high end moves from $1,604,700 to $1,595,350 (−$9,350 (−0.6%)).

How many locations does Dq have?

The 2026 FDD for Dq reports 743 outlets in Item 20, against 727 in the 2025 filing — 16 more.

How many Dq locations closed?

The 2026 FDD for Dq reports 31 outlet closures for the year it covers, against 21 in the 2025 filing.

Did Dq change its royalty rate?

No. Both the 2025 and 2026 filings for Dq state a standard royalty of 5%.

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