Dairy Queen keeps hold of its ice cream empire in the Twin Cities
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Bloomington-based Dairy Queen continues to be the most popular ice cream brand for much of the U.S.
- That's according to a new analysis of Yelp data by Axios' Kavya Beheraj and Erin Davis.
The big picture: Dairy Queen is the most dominant chain in nearly 75% of U.S. counties, suggesting people really love Blizzards.
- Yes, but: Some pockets are strongholds for regional favorites, like Rita's Italian Ice in and around New Jersey and Philadelphia, and Wisconsin-based Culver's in parts of the Upper Midwest.
Of note: Dairy Queen, owned by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, is the 16th-largest restaurant chain in the U.S., with $4.5 billion in systemwide sales in 2021, according to Nation's Restaurant News.
- Culver's is up to 38th on the list, with $1.9 billion in sales in 2021.
Zoom in: Here in the Twin Cities, DQ is by far No. 1, but Culver's has a strong presence.
💭 Our thought bubble: We love a Blizzard as much as the next person, but the Twin Cities also has some great independent shops, including Grand Ole Creamery, Sebastian Joe’s, Nellie’s, and newcomer Sweet Science Ice Cream.
The big picture: Minnesota's ice cream influence goes beyond Dairy Queen. Golden Valley-based General Mills owns Häagen-Dazs, one of the world's largest ice cream brands, and operates hundreds of shops in Europe, Asia, and Latin America (a different company owns licensing rights in the U.S.)