Karmelkorn Shoppes is a subsidiary of International Dairy Queen. For more than 60 years, International Dairy Queen s recipe for success has been simple. It has been a combination of hard working people who own and operate restaurants that offer great-tasting food and treats served in the establishments. The founders of the Dairy Queen system were men and women who introduced a new kind of dessert treat and, in the process, developed the foundation of the franchising industry. The story began with a 10 cent sale of a then unnamed product on Aug. 4, 1938, in Kankakee, Ill. A father and son in the mix plant business had been experimenting with a soft frozen dairy product for some time. Within two hours, he dished out more than 1,600 servings of the new dessert. With only 100 Dairy Queen stores in 1947, it grew to 1,446 in 1950 and then to 2,600 in 1955. Today, the Dairy Queen system is one of the largest fast food systems in the world with more than 5,900 restaurants in the United States, Canada and 20 foreign countries. Over the years, Dairy Queen acquired Orange Julius of America and Karmelkorn Shoppes. In January 1998, International Dairy Queen and its subsidiary companies were purchased by Berkshire Hathaway. International Dairy Queen maintains a location in Minneapolis. Karmelkorn Shoppes maintains a location in Edina, Minn.