About Fourteen Foods
Since 2002 our recipe for success has been simple, a combination of restaurant excellent teams, raving fans, and a commitment to our communities. We believe deeply in the importance of our mission of “changing lives, one smile and a story at a time.” Fourteen Foods is a multi-unit owner and operator of 240+ DQ Grill & Chill® restaurants and Dairy Queen Braziers in Alabama, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, North Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, and Wisconsin. Our passion drives us to provide an escape from the ordinary, with a place to enjoy life’s every day celebrations. So come and see our soft serve artists and chicken strip basket crafters create everyday magic as the heart and soul of DQ. Whether you are next in line or the next generation, here’s to you, our customers and our greatest fans.
Mission & Purpose
Our purpose is deeply rooted in faith; to serve our customers, communities, and teams to believe and live out God’s calling.
Our Values
- We believe that character matters.
- We treat others with dignity and respect
- We bring our hands, head, and heart to grow everyday.
- We have a passion to hope, care, and serve people and community
- We all win together
Leadership Team
Matt is Chief Executive Officer of Fourteen Foods and Principal for Frauenshuh Inc. Founded in 2002 with the opening of one Dairy Queen Grill & Chill restaurant in Minnesota, Matt took ownership of Fourteen Foods in 2006 and led the then seven restaurants in the Minneapolis area. The company has grown to include more than 240 DQ Grill & Chill restaurants across 13 states under Matt’s leadership and supports more than 9,000 team members. Fourteen Foods is the largest operator of Dairy Queen franchises in the United States and continues to be rooted in a foundation of faith and family.
Matt earned a bachelor’s degree in business economics from St. Olaf College and an MBA from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management. Along with Fourteen Foods, Matt shares his passion for service and community by giving his time to Folds of Honor, an organization that provides educational scholarships to spouses and children of America’s fallen and disabled service-members. He also serves on the national board member for The Salvation Army and is an active YPO member. Matt lives in Tennessee with his wife Beth and their four children.
Justin joined the Fourteen Foods family in 2008 with the acquisition of Kraus Foods and today serves as our Vice President of Real Estate. After graduation from St. Cloud State University, Justin started his professional career in home mortgage lending and property management, later operating DQ franchises.
In his role, he leads our real estate development and acquisition efforts in pursuit of our continued growth. Justin, his wife Summer, and their two boys live in Minnesota.
Paul Schmidt began his career with Dairy Queen in 1996 and today serves as Vice President of Facilities for Fourteen Foods. He leads by example for the facilities team dedicated to the maintenance and upkeep of our restaurants across the country and takes pride in providing outstanding service to our DQ fans and team members alike.
Paul lives in Iowa where he gives back to his community as a long-standing city council member. He enjoys downtime with wife Mona, their two grown children, and grandchildren.
Dave Craig joined Fourteen Foods as Vice President of Human Resources in January 2023. He began his career in the foodservice industry in 1986 as an HR Recruiter, eventually rising to the position of Director of Loss Prevention. He later joined Fazoli’s Restaurants in 1994 and led the HR department for the company for 28 years before departing in 2022. Dave and his HR teams have received national and regional recognition for excellence and innovation in HR practices.
Dave lives in central Kentucky with his wife of 30-years, Chandra, and their two adult children. He enjoys all sorts of outdoor sports and is an avid boater and fisherman.
As General Counsel, Jason Thomas oversees all aspects of Fourteen Foods legal affairs and personally represents the company in all corporate and commercial real estate matters. Jason’s comprehensive legal experience and ability to provide effective, cost-efficient in-house legal services are vital to Fourteen Foods’ business. Prior to becoming its General Counsel, Jason worked with Fourteen Foods for several years as a partner at the Minneapolis law firm of McGrann Shea.
Jason earned his Bachelor Degree from Brigham Young University and his Juris Doctorate from Hamlin University School of Law. He is a Twin Cities native, residing with his family in Minnetrista.
Bill has more than 30 years of experience with the Dairy Queen brand and joined the Fourteen Foods family in 2012. As Vice President of Operations, he provides thoughtful leadership to our restaurant teams across 13 states.
Bill, his wife Jennifer, and their four children live in Florida and he stays connected with his community through the coaching of little league youth baseball.