Executive Spotlight: Matt Frauenshuh, CEO of Fourteen Foods (2027)
Matt Frauenshuh is the chief executive officer of Fourteen Foods, a Minneapolis-based franchisee that describes itself as the largest operator of Dairy Queen Grill & Chill restaurants in the United States. His company bio says he took ownership of the group in 2006, when it ran seven restaurants in the Minneapolis area. Its own site now lists more than 255 restaurants in 13 states and more than 9,000 team members.
The growth came mostly from buying other operators, including a deal in 2011 for 58 corporate Dairy Queen restaurants in Kentucky and Indiana, and from building new stores. This page covers public professional information only and is drawn from his company bio, trade press and company press releases.
Current role and company
The Frauenshuh team page names Matthew D. Frauenshuh as chief executive officer of both Frauenshuh, Inc. (a real estate firm) and Fourteen Foods. A company press release from September 2023 also calls him CEO of Fourteen Foods and principal of Frauenshuh Inc. Titles may have changed since these pages were published.
- CompanyFourteen Foods, based in Minneapolis; Nation's Restaurant News (2011) says it also does business as Frauenshuh Hospitality Group.
- BrandsDQ Grill & Chill and DQ Treat locations, operated as a Dairy Queen franchisee.
- TitleChief Executive Officer (company bio and 2023 press releases).
- FootprintMore than 255 restaurants in 13 states, per the company bio page.
Career path
- 2002. Fourteen Foods describes itself as founded in 2002 in its press-release boilerplate. Nation's Restaurant News (2011) says the company started with the Dairy Queen system that year by opening one of the chain's early upscale Grill & Chill restaurants.
- 2006. The Frauenshuh bio says he took ownership of Fourteen Foods in 2006, when it operated seven restaurants in the Minneapolis area.
- 2007. Nation's Restaurant News (2011) says the group had 12 Minnesota DQ Grill & Chill and Brazier restaurants in March 2007.
- 2008. The same article says it bought 33 restaurants from Kraus Foods Midwest in the first quarter of 2008.
- 2011. Fourteen Foods agreed to buy 58 of the 60 corporate restaurants then run by International Dairy Queen: 52 in Kentucky and six in Indiana, terms not disclosed (Nation's Restaurant News, March 2011).
- 2016. Nation's Restaurant News (October 2016) reported the company had grown from seven locations to 182 in ten years, largely through acquisitions, with 17 openings planned in Tennessee and Alabama.
- 2023. A March 2023 press release marked the acquisition of the company's 243rd Dairy Queen store, in Waupaca, Wisconsin.
What he is known for
- Roll-up growth. The 2011 Nation's Restaurant News Q&A describes a record of acquisitions and strong same-store performance and a preference for buying before building. In that piece he says building from scratch lets the company fill geographic gaps.
- The Kentucky purchase. After the 2011 deal, the company said its Dairy Queen locations rose from 61 to 119 and employment from about 1,830 to about 3,800. The purchase also gave it control of local ad spending across the Louisville market area.
- Grill & Chill. Nearly all of its locations are the Grill & Chill format, which he said in 2016 spreads sales across the year instead of concentrating them in the warm months.
- Small-town acquisitions. The 2016 article says the company buys small-town operators and keeps local ties through a marketing team that runs partnerships and fundraisers.
Leadership style and philosophy
This section uses only his own remarks in trade-press interviews and press releases, and they are about business strategy, not a full leadership philosophy. In 2011 he said "We like DQ and see a lot of potential in the Kentucky market" and described limited room to grow sales volume in treats alone, which is why the food side of Grill & Chill mattered. In 2016 he told Nation's Restaurant News he is a "strong believer in focus" and sees considerable opportunity left in Dairy Queen, and argued that a franchisee should either stay small or get "pretty big" because mid-sized operators face the most difficulty. In a 2023 press release he said the company is "a large business with a family-owned approach."
Key numbers
Company-reported or press-reported figures, each with its period. Counts differ by source and date.
- 2006Seven restaurants when he took ownership (company bio).
- 2011Dairy Queen locations rose from 61 to 119 after the IDQ deal; about 1,830 to about 3,800 employees; average restaurant sales about $850,000 before the deal and about $1.1 million with the Grill & Chill units (Nation's Restaurant News).
- 2016182 locations, up from seven in ten years (Nation's Restaurant News).
- March 2023243rd store acquired; over 240 DQ Grill & Chill locations in 13 states (company press release).
- Current bio pageMore than 255 restaurants in 13 states and more than 9,000 team members (Frauenshuh website).
Questions people ask
Who is Matt Frauenshuh?
He is the chief executive officer of Fourteen Foods, a Minneapolis-based Dairy Queen franchisee, and of the real estate firm Frauenshuh, Inc., per the Frauenshuh team page.
What is Fourteen Foods?
It is a franchisee that operates DQ Grill & Chill and DQ Treat restaurants, and says it is the largest operator of Dairy Queen franchises in the United States. Its bio lists more than 255 restaurants in 13 states.
How did Fourteen Foods grow so large?
Mostly through acquisitions of other operators, including 33 restaurants in 2008 and 58 corporate restaurants from International Dairy Queen in 2011, plus new builds, per Nation's Restaurant News.
When did he take over Fourteen Foods?
The Frauenshuh bio says he took ownership in 2006, when it had seven restaurants.
What is Grill & Chill?
It is Dairy Queen's food-focused restaurant format. He said in 2016 that it spreads sales across all twelve months rather than concentrating them in a few warm ones.
Where does Fourteen Foods operate?
The company lists 13 states. Press coverage names Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, Kentucky, Indiana and Tennessee among its markets.
Sources
- Frauenshuh: Matthew D. Frauenshuh (team page) · Title, 2006 ownership, current counts; the portrait is from this page
- Nation's Restaurant News: Q&A: Matt Frauenshuh of Fourteen Foods (April 2011) · Acquisitions, counts, strategy quotes
- Nation's Restaurant News: IDQ sells 58 corporate restaurants (March 2011) · Details of the 2011 deal
- Nation's Restaurant News: Young Dairy Queen franchisee finds growth formula (October 2016) · Growth to 182 locations, strategy quotes
- Newswire: Fourteen Foods Acquires 243rd Dairy Queen Store (March 2023) · Store count, quote, company boilerplate
- Newswire: Fourteen Foods Announces Sioux Falls Dairy Queen Move (September 2023) · Title, counts, boilerplate
Facts were read from the linked pages on November 1, 2026. Titles and counts are as of the dates shown and may have changed. The hero photo is a solo portrait from his bio page on the Frauenshuh website, cropped to the page format. This page covers public professional information only.