Why Is It Called Dairy Queen?
Because its creator thought his new soft serve was the queen of all dairy products. J.F. McCullough, known as Grandpa McCullough, gave it the name in 1938, two years before the first store opened.
The name came before the restaurant. McCullough was naming a dessert, and the store that sold it simply took the same name.
The soft serve that came first
The McCulloughs ran a small ice cream business in Illinois. Grandpa McCullough is said to have believed that ice cream tasted best when it was soft, fresh from the freezer, rather than frozen hard in a tub. So he and Alex worked out a formula for a smooth, soft product that could be served straight from a machine.
To test it, they asked a friend and customer, Sherb Noble, to sell it at his ice cream store in Kankakee, Illinois, in 1938. Noble sold more than 1,600 servings in two hours. The idea clearly worked.
The first Dairy Queen store
On 22 June 1940, Sherb Noble opened the first store to carry the Dairy Queen name, at 501 North Chicago Street in Joliet, Illinois. The menu was tiny: soft serve cones, sundaes, pints and quarts. The building still stands and is a city landmark, though the store itself closed in the 1950s.
| Year | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1938 | The McCulloughs create the soft serve and choose the name Dairy Queen |
| 1938 | Sherb Noble sells more than 1,600 servings in two hours in Kankakee |
| 1940 | The first Dairy Queen store opens in Joliet, Illinois |
| 1947 | 100 stores |
| 1955 | 2,600 stores |
| 1962 | The company becomes International Dairy Queen, Inc. |
| 1998 | Berkshire Hathaway buys the company |
Who owns the chain today, and how Warren Buffett ended up with it, is covered in who owns Dairy Queen.
Why the name worked
Dairy Queen does three things at once. It says what the product is made from, it sounds friendly and a little grand, and it gave the brand an easy nickname. DQ became so common that the chain now uses the two letters as its main logo, and many people have never said the full name out loud.
The crown idea also fits the chain’s habit of royal names, from Royal Treats to Royal Blizzards, both still on the menu today.
Related Questions
Why is it called Dairy Queen?
Because J.F. McCullough, known as Grandpa McCullough, who created the soft serve in 1938, believed it was a queen among dairy products. He named it Dairy Queen, and the stores that sold it took the same name.
Who named Dairy Queen?
J.F. McCullough, known as Grandpa McCullough. He developed the soft serve formula with his son Alex in 1938 and chose the name the same year.
What does DQ stand for?
Dairy Queen. The chain uses the letters DQ as its main logo, and most customers know it by the initials.
Where was the first Dairy Queen?
At 501 North Chicago Street in Joliet, Illinois. It opened on 22 June 1940 and was run by Sherb Noble. The building is now a city landmark.
Who founded Dairy Queen?
J.F. McCullough and his son Alex created the soft serve, and Sherb Noble opened the first store. All three are usually counted as the founders.
Is the Dairy Queen name about cows?
Partly. Dairy Queen’s official story says McCullough saw his soft serve as the queen of dairy products, while another version says he called the dairy cow the queen of the dairy business. Both link the name to dairy.
More on Dairy Queen
About this guide. USA Food Menu is an independent reference site and is not affiliated with Dairy Queen or International Dairy Queen. History details come from Dairy Queen’s published company history and other reporting. Current prices are on the Dairy Queen menu.
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