History of Dairy Queen

John F. McCullough began selling ice cream in 1927. In the late 1930s, the Homemade Ice Cream, Company of Green River, Illinois, began to make changes in its product that will help to dramatically change the food industry.

The father and son owner, J.F and H.A McCullough, believed that ice cream tasted better when it was soft and fresh, not frozen solid.

So they invented their own technique of process. McCullough concluded that ice cream would be more flavorful if served at temperature higher than normal 5° F, and began to explore ways to sell it.

The first store was opened in Joliet, Illinois, in 1940 by joint effort of McCullough, his son and Sherb Noble, an owner of a Kankakee ice cream shop. On August 4, 1938, they hosted a one day sale, calling the event the ‘All the Ice Creak You Eta for Only 10 Cents’ sale. The store was mobbed by over 1,600 customers.

A year later, the McCulloughs opened their own store in Moline, Illinois. After thinking about the freshness of their ice cream and it source being a dairy product, ‘Diary Queen’ was chosen, as they believed that it would be the queen of the dairy industry.

By the time World War II broke out, there were ten Dairy Queens. After the war, the McCulloughs sold 50 percent of Dairy Queen to Harry Axene, who aggressively pushed the franchising aspect of the operation. 

Dairy Queen grew quickly, from 17 outlets in 1946 to 2600 in 1955, most of which were seasonal operations, closed during the winter months.

Dairy Queen has continued to expand and diversify; it has purchased Karnelkorn Shopper, Inc., and Orange Julius of America. These additions brought the company into urban areas.

In January 1998 International Dairy Queen, Inc and its subsidiary companies were purchased by Warren E. Buffet’s investment group, Berkshire Hathaway, Inc.
History of Dairy Queen