News

Dairy Queen opens in Saudi Arabia

June 16, 2011

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Berkshire Hathaway-owned Dairy Queen has opened its first three locations in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, one of which is the largest and only two-story DQ Grill & Chill restaurant in the world.

These openings extend the system's presence to 16 countries outside the U.S. and Canada.

All three of the DQ Grill & Chill restaurants are owned and operated by franchisee Al Safwa Food Group, a retail holding group previously involved in the Saudi Arabia casual dining segment. Al Safwa Food Group is slated to open five more locations this year and a total of 32 locations throughout Saudi Arabia by 2015.

The Dairy Queen system also has locations in the Middle Eastern countries of Bahrain, Oman and Qatar.

"For more than 50 years, we have been expanding the Dairy Queen brand into the international marketplace where there continues to be significant opportunities for us," said Brad Houser, executive vice president of International Dairy Queen Inc. "We have found that consumers are willing to try new restaurant brands, especially those that offer high-quality food and treat options, so there was great anticipation for the opening of our first Dairy Queen locations in Saudi Arabia."

The Riyadh DQ Grill & Chill restaurants will feature all of the brand's signature soft-serve products and food offerings, including Blizzard Treats, soft-serve cones, DQ Cakes, MooLatté frozen blended coffee beverages, Chicken Strip Baskets and GrillBurgers.

The Tahlia Street location also will include a breakfast menu.

Dairy Queen has opened 236 international stores since January 2010, including in China, Mexico, the Philippines and Thailand, bringing its total to 841 locations outside the U.S. and Canada.

Mini Blizzard TREATment contest winners named

Six fans have been selected as winners of Dairy Queen's Mini Blizzard TREATment online video contest, which launched in March. They will receive a Mini Cooper Countryman car for their winning submissions.

Contestants were asked to create videos promoting random acts of kindness. The videos can be viewed online.

"Each video tells an extraordinary story of surprising someone with a 'mini treatment,' all to celebrate our new Mini Blizzard Treat," said Michael Keller, chief brand officer for American Dairy Queen Corporation. "All of the videos were entertaining. Some were funny, while others conveyed a poignant message."