Franchise Times: Young DQ Franchisee Finds Success Through Employee Empowerment

Through hardwork, acquisition and a little business savvy, Matt Frauenshuh and his company Fourteen Foods have been able to grow to become the largest franchisee of Dairy Queen*, with 180 DQ Grill & Chill locations in ten states.

Frauenshuh credits his ability to grow so quickly for a few reasons, beginning with his familiarity with the brand. He took over several of his families DQ Grill & Chill locations after managing them in college, he quickly found that purchasing existing units was a recipe for success.

"I saw that there were not many multi-unit operators in the Dairy Queen system. So there was an opportunity to do that in the Upper Midwest here. I started buying and acquiring individual units and built a couple along the way," Frauenshuh told the publication.

Frauenshuh says keeping a close eye on cash flow to evaluate the viability of continued expansion is key while sticking to his family-owned roots and empowering talented team members help build a culture to be proud of and creates loyalty in your staff. Together, it's a winning franchising combination.

"We look for people who want to be with us not just because we have a job open but be a part of our culture," he added.

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