There are more than 4,500 Dairy Queens in the United States, but there is not a single one in Vermont. It is a distinction unique to Vermont. Every one of the other 49 states has a Dairy Queen. It is not because of the short summer season. According to company’s website (www.dairyqueen.com) Wyoming has nine and Alaska has six, including one in Wasilla, Sara Palin’s home town. And, nearby New Hampshire has 11. Even environmentally-conscious Hawaii has 12. Texas has the most with more than 600 locations.
Vermont used to have two DQs, one in Burlington and another in a mall in South Burlington. Both franchises closed, one after switching to a non-DQ brand name. But, in an interview with a DQ executive in the Burlington Free Press by Dan D’Ambrosio, Vermont might be ready for as many as five new Dairy Queen’s (February 26, 2016). http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/news/2016/02/25/dairy-queen-plans-vermont-expansion-2016/80943034/
The executive, who is trying to entice franchisees to sign on faces some unique challenges in the Green Mountain State. Dairy Queen, which is owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, takes a percentage cut of the revenues, as do all franchisors.
But, in Vermont, customers are not particularly enamored of the franchisor’s brand name. “Dairy Queen” does not necessarily mean more profits than an independent’s local name—such as the “Dairy Bar,” which is actually the name of an ice cream stand in Arlington, Vermont. “Buy Local” may trump national brand recognition when it comes selling food in Vermont.