Dairy Queen Closes 46 Locations Since Early 2025 While Retaining Most of Its 7,800 Stores

Dairy Queen has closed at least 46 locations across the United States since early 2025, according to nypost.com reported. The largest share came in Texas, where 42 restaurants shut between February and March after the chain operator Project Lonestar declined to renovate its stores. Three additional locations in Anchorage, Wasilla and Palmer, Alaska, closed at the start of July.

Alaska now has one remaining Dairy Queen, located in Soldotna, a city of 4,332 residents. A Great Falls, Montana, location that had operated for 39 years closed on June 13. Owner Steve Galloway said he plans to open a fast-casual Mediterranean restaurant in its place.

Prices for food away from home rose 3.5 percent over the past year, federal data showed. Dairy Queen was founded in 1940 in Illinois and acquired by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway in 1998. The chain operates roughly 7,800 locations in more than 20 countries.