Feb. 17, 2023

A new DQ Grill & Chill is coming to the northwest side of Sioux Falls.

It’s planned for a property near the new Jefferson High School.

The franchisees were attracted by “all the growth, from a residential standpoint, but also just the other businesses and the high school,” said Kristen Zueger of Lloyd Cos., who represents the Dairy Queen franchise group, Fourteen Foods. “They’re hoping that will bring in a lot of business, more on the grill side for meals. There’s an apartment complex going just north of there, and they just see a lot of potential not only already but down the road.”

Fourteen Foods is led by Matt Frauenshuh, who is the nation’s largest Dairy Queen franchisee with more than 240 stores across 13 states. That includes the Sioux Falls restaurants.

He opened a location in Brandon last fall and has one under construction in Tea that’s scheduled to open this spring.

As soon as the weather allows in March or April, the plan is to start on a new stand-alone location at Lake Lorraine, next to the Avera Medical Center, which will replace a nearby location in a strip mall on 26th Street. It will open about four months after construction begins.

About two months after Lake Lorraine starts construction, the plan is to begin building the location near Jefferson High.

And the franchisee has land in Harrisburg in the area of Cliff Avenue and Willow Street. The plan is to begin construction once a road project nearby is done, which could be in a couple of years.

The group also is negotiating on a property in southeast Sioux Falls.

All the restaurants will be similar in size to the one that opened in Brandon, which includes a dining room and drive-thru.

“They spend a lot of time internally analyzing markets, and our market is one where they see so much potential given our growth and influx of people,” Zueger said. “Every parcel that they look to purchase is very well thought out. They’re finding where the desire for the product is and doing a great job.”

Dairy Queen franchisee shares big plans for Sioux Falls region