Dairy Queen most popular frozen dessert restaurant in Canada — Canadians' prefer ice cream over

In recognition that July is ice cream month, Campaign Research is pleased to release an online consumer survey conducted among 1,970 adult Canadian consumers. Our survey highlights Canadians’ preferences of frozen desserts among the most notable chains in the country. Interestingly, our study found that Canadians prefer eating ice cream over frozen yogurt. Frozen dessert chains such as Dairy Queen and Baskin Robbins were frequented more often than their frozen yogurt counterparts. Dairy Queen, in particular, was the frozen dessert restaurant Canadians favoured most. Just under half (47%) of those who participated in the survey visited Dairy Queen in the past year. No other frozen dessert restaurant chain was visited as often. In fact, only 9% of Canadians visited Baskin Robbins and Menchies in the past year, followed by Yogen Fruz (6%), Cold Stone Creamery (4%) and Yogurtys (3%). Our study results indicate that millennials were more likely to visit a frozen dessert restaurant than any other age group. Interestingly, Dairy Queen was most popular in Western and Atlantic Canada, and seemingly less popular in Toronto over this past year.

Dairy Queen most widely known restaurant

Perhaps part of the reason why Canadians prefer Dairy Queen is due to their greater brand recognition among their competitors. 82% of Canadians heard of Dairy Queen, while only 54% recognize Baskin Robbins and 34% were familiar with Yogen Fruz. Consumer awareness was stronger for brands like Dairy Queen and Baskin Robbins among older age consumers, while Yogen Fruz, Cold Stone Creamery and Menchies were more widely known among millennials. This suggests that established brands like Dairy Queen and Baskin Robbins could lose customers in the long term if they don’t begin appealing to younger consumers. Moreover, familiarity with all the frozen dessert restaurants listed above was higher among the wealthiest ($100,000-$250,000) consumers, suggesting those in this income bracket treat themselves more often than others.

“Dairy Queen is the most dominant ice cream and frozen dessert retailer in Canada. Whether it’s their ability to brand their products effectively, such as the case with its iconic Blizzard, or ability to keep up with industry trends, Canadians clearly prefer them over their competitors.” said Eli Yufest, CEO of Campaign Research. Eli may be reached at eyufest@campaignresearch.ca or at (647) 931-4025 ext 109.

METHODOLOGY

This online study was conducted between April 3 and 11, 2017, among a sample of 1,970 adult Canadian consumers. A probability sample of this size would have a margin of error of plus or minus 2%, 19 times out of 20.