Hot Dog! Dairy Queen Introduces New All-Beef Hot Dogs

Minneapolis, MN - Dairy Queen, the treat category leader and one of the leaders in the quick service restaurant (QSR) industry, is beefing up its food menu with the addition of All American, all new, all-beef hot dogs beginning in July at all Dairy Queen/Brazier and DQ Grill & Chill locations nationwide.

The roll-out comes just in time for the unofficial summer "hot dog" season and July 4th. "Summer is the prime time for us to introduce a new hot dog," said Michael Keller, chief brand officer for International Dairy Queen. "Our research indicates high consumer preference for a high quality, all-beef dog. And with this new menu addition, we are now the number one purveyor of all-beef hot dogs in the U.S."

Ever since 1867, when German butcher Charles Feltman opened up the first Coney Island stand in Brooklyn, America has had an ongoing love affair with the hot dog, creating an assortment of condiments and toppings that range from simple mustard to chili cheese. The American Meat Institute reports that Americans consume 20 billion hot dogs a year. In 2005, the Dairy Queen system sold more than 30 million hot dogs.

"Our customers are passionate about their hot dogs, so we spent a year testing flavor and size to land the top dog. In all, we probably compared 50 variations," said Keller.

The average price of the new DQ all-beef hot dog is $2.00. Customers can then choose to add one of several traditional, regional or upscale toppings and condiments.

Also in July, DQ will feature Kit Kat as Blizzard of the Month. First introduced in April, the Kit Kat Blizzard is a flavorful mix of Kit Ka<,/i> candy bar pieces blended with rich chocolate and creamy DQ vanilla soft serve. The average price of the Kit Kat Blizzard is $2.75 for the 12 oz., $3.20 for the 16 oz. and $3.65 for the 21 oz.

Many Blizzard flavors also can be made into customized cakes which are perfect for July 4th celebrations and other special occasions. The average price of a Blizzard cake is $19.99 for the eight-inch and $22.50 for the 12-inch.

DQ will sell approximately 30.5 million hot dogs in 2007. That's 4 million pounds or 2,000 tons of hot dogs and enough lined up end to end to:

• Stretch from Los Angeles to Honolulu or Los Angeles to New York City;
• stretch from earth to the international space station and back six times;
• circle a high school 400 meter track 11,560 times. It also represents:
• 1.5 hot dogs for every resident of New York;
• 28 hot dogs for every resident of Rhode Island;
• 46 hot dogs for every resident of Alaska.