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Dairy Queen unveils DQ! Bakes Institute for quality, innovation

The DQ Bakes! Institute will highlight innovations coming from the new DQ oven including desserts, sandwiches and snacks made to order and customized to a fan's taste.

July 16, 2015

Dairy Queen CEO John Gainor launched the DQ Bakes! Institute this week at the company's headquarters in Minneapolis with the unveiling of the ceremonial oven, the company announced. Dairy Queen established the Institute to inspire, develop and enhance future innovation coming from the DQ oven.

The DQ Bakes! Institute will highlight innovations coming from the new DQ oven including desserts, sandwiches and snacks made to order and customized to a fan's taste.

"The DQ Bakes! Institute speaks to our commitment to product quality and innovation," Executive VP of Marketing for American Dairy Queen Corporation Barry Westrum said. "It's where new DQ Bakes! menu ideas are born, cultivated, tested and perfected. When we launched the DQ Bakes! menu last month, we saw the opportunities for future innovation coming from our ovens. The DQ Bakes! Institute tells a bigger story about what fans can expect in the future fromDQ Bakes! and the Dairy Queen system."

When DQ Bakes! was rolled out in select test markets, fans were thrilled, according to Westrum: "They were impressed that a quick-service restaurant could produce the quality and innovation that you'd find in a casual dining restaurant but at a QSR price point," he said. "They loved the hot-from-the-oven tastes that these products offer as well as these premium and delicious flavor profiles."

Currently on the DQ Bakes! menu are made-to-order Hot Desserts à la Mode, Artisan-style Sandwiches and Snack Melts. The desserts are Triple Chocolate Brownie, Apple Tart and Fudge Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookie; Artisan-style sandwiches are Chicken Bacon Ranch, Chicken Mozzarella and Turkey BLT; and snack melts are Buffalo Chicken, Chicken Bacon BBQ and Chicken Quesadilla.

"The DQ Bakes! menu was the inspiration for the DQ Bakes! Institute," said Dr. Bill Barrier, executive VP of global product development/quality/food safety for ADQ. "We are all about menu quality and value, both for food and treats. We are really excited about the new opportunities that our ovens provide and the matchless innovations that will come from the DQ Bakes! Institute."