Welcome to "DQ-Topia," an interactive website that is more like a videogame than an information site. At DairyQueen.com, you can build your own street sign, watch funny promotional videos, look at old black and white photos, arrange "Gizmos" and try to flip a burger several times in a row. (Yes, they actually keep score). After the first ten minutes on the site, I forgot why I was there in the first place. Then I remembered that Dairy Queen is the largest Ice-cream chain in the world. The Dairy Queen System has developed over 5900 locations in the United States and Canada, including locations in 22 countries. Texas is the proud supporter of the most Dairy Queen restaurants with over 600 locations.

For over 60 years, the Dairy Queen system has promoted a formula for food and fun that has scooped out a permanent place in ice-cream history. Dairy Queen's pioneering system created a foundation for the platform that helped launch the franchising industry.

Today, the Dairy Queen System is one of the largest fast food systems in the world and is the leading ice-cream retailer with over 5,900 restaurants worldwide. Franchisees feel confident with DQ's staying power as one of the great Mega-Brands of all time, offering unparalleled support, solid branding, and a network of established followers that are loyal and self-replenishing. As long as there are kids, little league teams and families, there will be Dairy Queen.

We also discussed earlier this week that Dairy Queen is owned by Warren Buffet's company Berkshire Hathaway. Being backed by a well known parent company is always a good thing.

There is a lot of talk today about Warren Buffett and his acquisition of railroad operator Burlington Northern Santa Fe for $44 billion. This was Warren's largest acquisition in Berkshire Hathaway's history.  So why am I blogging about Warren Buffett on a franchise blog? What does Warren Buffett have to do with franchising?

Well... Many people seem to follow the same investment patterns as Mr. Buffett. If you were given investment advice from Warren himself would you follow that advice?  If Warren Buffet owned a franchise would you buy it?

If you answered "yes" to the last 2 questions then Dairy Queen might be the franchise for you. The Dairy Queen franchise is a wholly owned subsidiary of Warren Buffets' company Berkshire Hathaway. In October of 1997 Berkshire Hathaway Inc. purchased Dairy Queen for $585 million.

So... If Warren Buffett owned a franchise company would you buy it? I would.

According to HealthNews.com, McDonald's patrons have become more calorie conscious and are making better meal choices in New York.  In 2008  New York issued a mandate requiring fast food restaurants to post calorie counts on their menus.  The city is the first in the U.S. to have issued such a mandate.

The New York Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has just released initial findings of a recent analysis on the impact of the city's menu-labeling laws. Results indicate that consumers have become more selective in choosing food with fewer calories. In fact, people purchased lower calorie meals at 9 of 13 fast-food restaurants and coffee chains that were included in the study. The findings were presented at the annual meeting of the Obesity Society in Washington.

Since the 2008 New York mandate, similar rules have been established in areas in California, Oregon and Washington.

Read the full story: Calorie Count Labels on Restaurant Menus Are Helping Consumers Make Better Choices

Since late in the1990's, Mary Rogers and co-founder Rosemarie Hartnett, had an idea for an art-education program for children simmering in their development pot. In 2002, they invited children of various age groups to experience a unique curriculum. Through a process called "test classes," they refined their program and created a business model nicknamed "Abrakadoodle" that sought to promote the "magic" of art-enhanced creativity in children. One year later, in cooperation with the McLean Project for the Arts in McLean, VA, the team launched its first set of official Abrakadoodle classes. The program was an instant success, and with waiting lists swelling, the founders scrambled to accommodate the masses, eventually expanding to include daycare centers, private and public schools, and other locations in the community.

Mary C. Rogers is the first woman to create two successful national education franchise businesses, the first being COMPUTERTOTS ®, which is the nation's leader in computer education for children with 150 US franchises and licensing programs in eleven countries. Mary Rogers holds a Master Degree in Education, and has over 25 years experience in education, franchising and business development. Abrakadoodle President, Rosemarie Hartnett, has over 20 years experience, and is director of operations, training, and support programs for the company. She is also a frequent guest speaker on the topic of franchising.

Abrakadoodle's explosive success has been well noted in the Wall Street Journal, SmartMoney.com, Entrepreneur.com, and the Washington Business Journal to name only a few. If you are looking for a child related franchise I suggest you check it out.