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FOOD AND DRINK

American fast food chain Dairy Queen to open restaurants in France

The American fast-food chain Dairy Queen has announced plans to expand to France.

Published: 17 September 2024 10:07 CEST
American fast food chain Dairy Queen to open restaurants in France
A S'mores flavored blizzard is seen at a Dairy Queen in New York City (Photo by Andrew Burton / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

Dairy Queen has plans to open restaurants in France in the coming years, the American fast food chain told French TV channel BFM Business.

International business manager Nicolas Boudet said: “France is a strategic market for Dairy Queen.”

“Nothing has been signed yet, but we are listening carefully to those who have approached us,” Boudet said.

The chain currently has 7,500 restaurants worldwide, comparable to Wendy’s which has 7,000, and is particularly known for ice cream and milkshakes, and especially its flagship product, the Blizzard.

Boudet did not give a precise timeline for the move, but said it would take at least 12 to 16 months, after securing a location, to open the first restaurants.

In terms of how many restaurants they would open – Boudet told the French news network that “100 to 200 restaurants would be a minimum to reach a critical size on the French market.”

Dairy Queen has already opened restaurants in Latin America, Asia and the Middle East, and it attempted to open some in Italy, Poland and Slovenia, but these were unsuccessful.

“We have had some failures, but these have allowed us to learn what not to do. When you see what brands like McDonald’s and Burger King have accomplished in France, it gives us a lot of hope,” Boudet added.

American fast food chains in France

Perhaps surprisingly – when one considers France’s history as a global gastronomy capital and appreciation for long, seated meals – fast food has been very successful in l’Hexagon.

READ MORE: Long lunch and leisurely dinner: Why the French spend twice as long eating as Americans

McDonalds (or McDo in French) was the first to arrive in France in 1979, opening its first restaurant in the eastern city of Strasbourg, American fast-food restaurants have descended on l’Hexagone. 

And these chains have been met with high demand – as of 2019, the France was home to the second biggest market for McDonald’s per head of population after the United States. 

In 2023, the doughnut shop Krispy Kreme opened its first restaurants in France, cleverly using puns and word play to win over the French public.

Other chains, such as Popeyes, Five Guys, Chipotle and Starbucks have also set up shop in France.

READ MORE: Krispy Kreme, Popeyes, Five Guys: the American fast-food chains taking on France

Member comments

  1. America continues to export its obesity epidemic around the world. UK citizens were one of the first to succumb to it. Italy, Poland and Slovenia had the right idea. It’s a pity the French won’t learn from them. Sit back and wait for the diabetes epidemic to strike.
    In 2024, according to the American Heart Association:
    “9.7M adults have undiagnosed diabetes, 29.3 million have diagnosed diabetes, and 115.9 million have pre-diabetes.”

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WINE

Italy to overtake France as world’s largest wine producer

Italy is due to regain its spot as the world's largest wine producer in 2024 as France's vineyards are hit by unfavourable weather, according to figures from each country's agricultural authorities.

Published: 18 September 2024 16:24 CEST
Italy to overtake France as world's largest wine producer

After a disastrous 2023 harvest, Italy’s production will recover eight percent to between 41 million and 42 million hectolitres, the country’s main agricultural association Coldiretti said on Wednesday.

The French agriculture ministry had estimated earlier this month that French production will fall 18 percent to 39.3 million hectolitres.

Coldiretti noted that this year’s output in Italy still remains well under the average of recent years, as different parts of the country cope with either heavy rains or drought.

Since 2007, Italy has been the world’s top producer each year apart from 2011, 2014 and 2023, when it was pipped by France, according to the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV).

Coldiretti said Italy is “divided in two” with the north hit by “intense rain and hail in spring and early summer”, while large parts of the south and Sicily have faced drought.

Heat and lack of rain led to particularly early harvests in some parts of the country.

In France, the steepest fall is expected in the eastern Jura mountain range where frosts and mildew are expected to result in a 71 percent drop in output.

In terms of volume, the biggest drop will be in the western Charente region where production will fall 35 percent.

Output is expected to fall by 30 percent in the Loire Valley and by a quarter in the Burgundy-Beaujolais area, which was hit by severe hail.

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