Dairy Queen Eyes Expansion in Lake, Cook Counties

Written by Morgan Searles

LAKE COUNTY, IL -- Fast food in Lake County may soon get a little more royal, as Dairy Queen executives eye a 2017 expansion in suburban Cook and Lake counties and Chicago.

Though specific sites or locations have not yet been revealed, Dairy Queen's vice president of U.S. franchise development told Crain's Chicago there's demand in places such as Oak Park, Evanston and Rosemont.

The plan is to open 30 to 35 stores around the Chicago area in the next five years, though the number of new locations could reach 50, Crain's reports.

Current franchisees will handle some of the new sites, but the company is also looking for new local partners.

Dairy Queen was founded in Joliet on June 22, 1940. Sherb Noble opened the first location at 501 N. Chicago St. The building, though no longer a Dairy Queen, still stands as a city landmark.

The original Dairy Queen opened just two years after soft-serve ice cream was developed in Illinois by Noble's friend, John Fremont “Grandpa” McCullough and his son Bradley.

Dairy Queen is now headquartered today in Edina, Minnesota, as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway.

For locations near you, visit the Dairy Queen website.

Photo: Mike Mozart via Flickr