Mid Atlantic Dairy Queen LLC

What Mid Atlantic Dairy Queen LLC does

Mid Atlantic Dairy Queen LLC is a privately held, Virginia-incorporated franchisee operating 15 Dairy Queen restaurants across the Hampton Roads metropolitan region of Virginia, including locations in Chesapeake, Virginia Beach, Newport News, Norfolk, Hampton, Yorktown, Windsor, Courtland, and Franklin. The company was founded in 1989 and is headquartered at 300 E Second Ave, Franklin, VA 23851, operating under license from American Dairy Queen LLC. It sells the standard DQ menu of burgers, chicken strips, frozen treats (Blizzards, cones, sundaes), and customizable celebration cakes through dine-in, drive-thru, and carryout, with online ordering via the national DQ mobile app and the franchisee website.

The business model is classic quick-service restaurant retail: per-transaction food and treat sales at individually priced menu items, supplemented by catering and corporate orders around community events. The company earns no licensing, subscription, or platform revenue of its own; revenue is a function of foot traffic, drive-thru throughput, and now incremental delivery volume via third-party platforms (GrubHub, DoorDash, Uber Eats). Corporate staff is small (13 employees), with the bulk of unit-level labor being hourly restaurant workers. The technology stack is not proprietary; the franchisee relies on the parent's mobile app, the OLO/DQ ordering platform, and integrated third-party delivery aggregators.

Mid Atlantic Dairy Queen derives its competitive position less from product differentiation (the menu is standardized) and more from regional density, multi-decade local presence, and exceptional community-engagement programs. The 35+ year partnership with Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters (CHKD) has generated over $3.5 million in cumulative donations, including a $5 million commitment to CHKD's Mental Health Program (raised from $1.25M in 2020). Additional programs include the Pup Cup animal-rescue fundraiser and veteran/first-responder discounts. These activities function as a regional brand-equity moat and a customer-loyalty engine within Hampton Roads.

Name

Mid Atlantic Dairy Queen LLC

Legal name

Mid Atlantic Dairy Queen LLC

Website

https://dqhamptonroads.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Mid Atlantic Dairy Queen LLC is a privately held Dairy Queen franchisee operating 15 quick-service restaurants across the Hampton Roads region of Virginia, selling DQ food, Blizzard treats, and celebration cakes through dine-in, drive-thru, carryout, and third-party delivery.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Franklin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices11 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Retail Food Service: Revenue generated from sale of food, treats (Blizzards, cones, sundaes), and celebration cakes across 15 Hampton Roads locations. Transactions are primarily one-time purchases at retail pricing, supplemented by corporate catering orders for events like Miracle Treat Day.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Mid Atlantic Dairy Queen LLC operates 15 Dairy Queen franchise restaurants across the Hampton Roads region of Virginia, selling fast food (burgers, chicken strips), frozen treats (Blizzards, cones, sundaes), and celebration cakes to individual consumers. Orders are fulfilled via dine-in, drive-thru, carryout, the DQ mobile app, and third-party delivery platforms (GrubHub, DoorDash, Uber Eats). The franchisee also runs community fundraising programs benefiting Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters.

Product overview

Mid Atlantic Dairy Queen LLC operates 15 Dairy Queen franchise locations across Hampton Roads, Virginia. The company offers a unified product portfolio centered on the DQ restaurant brand, including a mobile ordering application (DQ App) for iOS and Android, full food and treats menus (featuring signature Blizzard desserts, cones, and custom celebration cakes), and delivery services through third-party platforms. The company also operates seasonal promotional events and community fundraising programs, primarily supporting Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters (CHKD) through initiatives including Miracle Treat Day, Free Cone Day, Round Up campaigns, and the Pup Cups animal rescue program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Food Menu Full quick-service food menu including burgers, chicken strips, and other savory items available at all 15 Mid Atlantic Dairy Queen locations in Hampton Roads, Virginia.
• DQ Treats Frozen treats including Blizzard desserts, cones, sundaes, and other ice cream products sold at Mid Atlantic Dairy Queen restaurants.
• DQ Celebration Cakes Customizable celebration cakes available for order for birthdays and special occasions through Mid Atlantic Dairy Queen locations.
• Delivery Service Delivery service for DQ treats and food items available through third-party platforms GrubHub, DoorDash, and Uber Eats across Hampton Roads locations. Delivery fees, taxes, and minimum order requirements apply.
• DQ Mobile App Mobile application enabling one-click reordering, access to weekly deals, and earning reward points. Available for download on iOS and Android devices.

Quantifiable outcome

• Raised $510,000 for CHKD in 2025 alone through various fundraising initiatives
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters (CHKD)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Long-standing 35+ year partnership supporting CHKD's pediatric care and mental health programs. In 2020, Mid Atlantic DQ committed $1.25 million toward CHKD's Mental Health Program, later increased to $5 million commitment in 2022. Partnership includes year-round fundraising via Round Up campaigns, Miracle Treat Day, Free Cone Day, and Miracle Balloon campaigns. Locations have contributed over $3.5 million to support local children and families.
• Humble Hearts FoundationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnered with Humble Hearts Foundation for 2025 Miracle Treat Day. Foundation matched donations with a $1 contribution for every Blizzard sold, helping raise nearly $1,823 in spare change donations in addition to regular proceeds.
• GEICOminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner for Miracle Treat Day 2025, contributing to donations for CHKD alongside USAA.
• USAAminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner for Miracle Treat Day 2025, supporting donations for CHKD alongside GEICO.
• GrubHubcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party delivery partnership making DQ products available through GrubHub platform across multiple Hampton Roads locations including Newport News, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, and Hampton.
• DoorDashcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party delivery partnership available in Franklin, Courtland, and Windsor locations.
• Uber EatscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party delivery partnership enabling online food ordering and delivery service.
• Children's Miracle NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational organization through which Mid Atlantic Dairy Queen participates in Miracle Treat Day and other fundraising initiatives benefiting children's hospitals, including CHKD.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Bojangles: Regional QSR chain headquartered in the U.S. Southeast with strong presence in Virginia and the Carolinas. Comparable as a Southeast-focused QSR competitor that competes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner dayparts against DQ's Grill & Chill locations in Hampton Roads.

Direct peers

• Fourteen Foods: One of the largest Dairy Queen franchisees in the United States, operating roughly 140+ DQ locations primarily in Indiana and adjacent states. Highly comparable as a multi-unit DQ franchise operator with similar economics, supplier relationships, and franchisor dynamics.
• RBD Restaurant Group: Multi-unit Dairy Queen franchisee operating dozens of DQ stores across Texas and Oklahoma. Comparable as a similarly scaled, privately held regional DQ franchise operator running a mix of Grill & Chill and traditional treat locations.

Broad incumbents

• Jack in the Box: West Coast-anchored QSR chain with franchise-operated locations across the U.S. Comparable as a franchise-driven, multi-state QSR competitor whose unit economics, drive-thru dependence, and franchisor dynamics mirror those facing Mid Atlantic DQ.
• Wendy's Company: National burger-focused QSR chain with a heavily franchised operating model and presence throughout the U.S. Southeast including Virginia. Comparable as a direct same-category competitor for QSR food occasions and as a benchmark for franchisee unit economics.
• Cold Stone Creamery: National premium ice cream and frozen dessert franchisor operating in the same treat category as DQ Blizzards. Comparable as a direct competitor for frozen-dessert occasions and a benchmark for franchise-driven frozen dessert unit economics.
• American Dairy Queen Corporation: The franchisor of the Dairy Queen brand and Mid Atlantic DQ's parent counterparty. Owns and licenses the DQ system globally; directly comparable as the brand-and-system incumbent that defines the operating economics, menu, and technology for Mid Atlantic and every other DQ franchisee.
• Inspire Brands: Multi-brand QSR platform owning Arby's, Buffalo Wild Wings, Sonic, Dunkin', Baskin-Robbins, and Jimmy John's. Comparable as a portfolio QSR operator whose franchising and operational playbook (multi-brand loyalty, delivery integration) mirrors the strategic options available to multi-unit franchisees like Mid Atlantic DQ.
• Restaurant Brands International: Global QSR holding company owning Burger King, Tim Hortons, Popeyes, and Firehouse Subs. Comparable as a franchisor of competing QSR brands that competes for consumer occasions against DQ's treat and food dayparts in Hampton Roads.
• Yum! Brands: Operator and franchisor of KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and Habit Burger. Comparable as a multi-brand QSR platform whose franchisee network and unit-economics structure parallel those that govern Mid Atlantic DQ's relationship with American Dairy Queen.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/dqhamptonroads
• Facebookfacebook.com/dqhamptonroads
• Instagraminstagram.com/dqhamptonroads
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mid-atlantic-dairy-queen

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mid Atlantic Dairy Queen LLC