Fourteen Foods data breach investigation (2026 Dairy Queen operator incident)

Fourteen Foods, a large Dairy Queen franchise operator, began mailing data breach letters on October 22, 2026. The letters say an outsider got into the company's network in February 2026 and copied files that contained names and Social Security numbers. Several law firms are now investigating possible class claims, and a federal case naming the company was opened in Minnesota on October 26, 2026.

This page covers that investigation. There is no settlement, cash payment or claim form. The main source for the facts below is Fourteen Foods' notice to the New Hampshire Attorney General, filed by its lawyers at Mullen Coughlin. The company has not said publicly how many people were affected in total.

Fourteen Foods lists its address as 1431 Perrone Way in Franklin, Tennessee. Its website calls the company "DQ Smile Servers" and describes its restaurants as serving soft serve and chicken strips. ClassAction.org describes Fourteen Foods as the largest Dairy Queen franchise operator, with more than 250 restaurants in 13 states. Class Action Pulse has not independently confirmed that count.

The people who received letters are the potential claimants. Neither the New Hampshire filing nor the sample letter says whether they are employees, customers or others. One investigating firm, Levi & Korsinsky, suggests the data may relate mostly to employees, but that is the firm's view, not the company's.

Law firms that have posted investigation pages include Levi & Korsinsky, Dapeer Law and attorneys working with ClassAction.org. Those pages are lawyer advertising.

Fourteen Foods gives this timeline in its New Hampshire filing and its sample notice letter.

• February 23, 2026: the company was alerted to suspicious activity in its computer environment. It says it isolated affected systems and began an investigation.
• February 19 to February 25, 2026: the investigation found that an unauthorized third party accessed the network during these dates and copied certain files.
• September 10, 2026: the company finished reviewing the copied files and finding addresses for the people involved.
• October 22, 2026: written notice went out, including to five New Hampshire residents.

The filing says the information involved includes name and Social Security number. The sample letter leaves the data list as a blank field, so each letter may list different items. Your own letter controls what applies to you.

About eight months passed between the intrusion and the letters. The company says it used that period for a detailed review of the files and to identify addresses, and it has not given any other reason for the timing.

Fourteen Foods says it isolated its network, investigated, notified federal law enforcement and is adding safeguards and employee training. It says it is notifying state regulators as needed and the three major credit reporting agencies. In the sample letter, it says it is not aware of any attempted identity theft or financial fraud connected to the incident.

The company is offering 12 months of free credit monitoring through Experian, according to the New Hampshire filing. The sample letter shows the length as a blank field, so check your own letter.

The law firms say they are looking into whether Fourteen Foods protected the data adequately and whether affected people can seek money for lost time, costs or privacy harm. Those are questions under investigation, not findings. Fourteen Foods has not been found to have done anything wrong.

No court has ruled on anything about this incident. A federal case titled Grigsby v. Fourteen Foods, LLC, No. 0:26-cv-04620, was opened in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota on October 26, 2026. Its complaint was not publicly available when this article was written, so Class Action Pulse has not confirmed what it alleges or whether it concerns this breach. This page will be updated if a filed complaint is confirmed.

You are most likely to be affected if you received a Fourteen Foods letter dated October 22, 2026, or later about the February 2026 incident. The investigations focus on people whose information was in the copied files. Until a class action is filed and certified, there is no formal class.

Not everyone who worked at or bought from a Fourteen Foods restaurant was affected. The company says it notified people whose information it found in the files.

• Keep the letter and envelope. They show the date and the data involved.
• Enroll in the free Experian monitoring using the instructions in your letter. The company says it cannot enroll you, so you must do it yourself.
• Because Social Security numbers were involved, consider a free credit freeze with Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.
• Check your credit reports at AnnualCreditReport.com and review bank statements for activity you do not recognize.
• Call the company's assistance line at 1-833-918-9653, weekdays 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Central Time, with questions.
• Be wary of calls or emails that mention the breach and ask for your Social Security number or payment.
• Keep records of any fraud, time spent or costs. They could matter if a case or settlement follows.

Nothing is available now beyond the free monitoring Fourteen Foods is offering. In data breach cases that end in settlement, benefits often include reimbursement of documented losses, small cash payments and more monitoring. Whether that happens here is unknown.

• February 19 to 25, 2026: unauthorized access and file copying.
• February 23, 2026: company alerted to suspicious activity.
• September 10, 2026: file review completed.
• October 22, 2026: notice letters mailed and New Hampshire notified.
• October 26, 2026: Grigsby v. Fourteen Foods, LLC opened in federal court.

Time limits for data breach claims vary by state and legal theory. There is no claim deadline because there is no settlement.

• Investigation: a law firm's review of whether to file a lawsuit. It is not a lawsuit.
• Unauthorized third party: someone outside the company who got into its systems without permission.
• Credit monitoring: a service that alerts you to changes in your credit file, such as a new account.
• Credit freeze: a free block that stops new credit from being opened in your name.
• Class certification: a court ruling that a case can go forward for everyone in a defined group.

More state attorney general filings may reveal the total number of people notified. If the Minnesota complaint becomes available, it will show what the plaintiff alleges and whom the proposed class covers. If more lawsuits are filed, they may be combined. Any settlement would need court approval and would come with official notice and a claim process.

The incident facts come from Fourteen Foods' New Hampshire filing and its sample notice letter, viewed through copies posted by ClassAction.org because the state's site blocked automated access. The total number affected, whether recipients are employees or customers, and the restaurant count are not confirmed by the company. The Grigsby docket entry was confirmed, but its complaint was not reviewed.

Class Action Pulse is not a law firm or settlement administrator and does not guarantee eligibility or payment. This article is general information, not legal advice.