Beloved ice cream franchise closing 46 locations nationwide — with one state hit hardest (DQ)

NY Post ^ | 7/11/26 | Faran Krentcil

[Libloather]

America’s love affair with the Blizzard is on ice.

Since early 2025, Dairy Queen has been in a franchise meltdown, closing at least 46 locations nationwide, with Texas taking the biggest hit after the chain operator, Project Lonestar, refused to renovate its restaurants, which got them iced out of the DQ family. Between February and March alone, 42 Texas locations shut down, leaving Lone Star cravers to fend for themselves. (Or finally try a McFlurry.)

In Alaska, three DQ locations in Anchorage, Wasilla and Palmer all shuttered at the start of July, leaving the 49th state with just one Blizzard maker left, according to the Anchorage Daily News. The lone location is in Soldotna, a small city with just 4,332 residents and 200 protected acres for bears, moose, caribou and wild sheep.

Meanwhile in Great Falls, Montana, a Dairy Queen that’s been open for 39 years chose to go dark on June 13 after nearly four decades. There’s no use crying over a spilled milkshake, though. The DQ owner, Steve Galloway, is pivoting to a fast casual Mediterranean restaurant instead.

The closures come as Americans are feeling the chill at drive-thru windows nationwide. Prices for food away from home have jumped 3.5% over the past year, according to federal data, making budget-conscious customers think twice before splurging on a Peanut Buster Parfait.

Considered one of the pioneers of soft serve ice cream, Dairy Queen was founded in 1940 in Illinois before getting acquired by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway in 1998. Today, it boasts roughly 7,800 locations in over 20 countries. And though the mainland is losing some Blizzard hotspots, the chain is reportedly plotting an expansion into Puerto Rico with 20 new “Grill & Chill” spots in the tropical U.S. territory.

---

TOPICS: Business/Economy; Food; History; Local News
KEYWORDS: cream; dq; franchise; ice

[Libloather]

I mostly hung out at either the Stewart's Root Beer drive-in or the Howard Johsons restaurant. American classics.

[Ronaldus Magnus III]

There are about 4,000 Dairy Queens in America, about 8,000 worldwide.

[rhinohunter]

The old rule of thumb in Texas was if your town had a population of at least 1000 you got a DQ.

But that was pre-Warren Buffet so not sure if its still true…

[Red Badger]

We lost our sole DQ here years ago when the franchise owner retired.

If we want DQ we have to drive 12 miles to another town................

[Mr. Jeeves]

Maybe they should try serving actual ice cream instead of Guar Gum Surprise. :)

[Liz]

[Right_Wing_Madman]

I mostly hung out at either the Stewart's Root Beer drive-in or the Howard Johsons restaurant.

[alternatives?]

Butterscotch sundaes have not been available for a long time.

[j.havenfarm]

Nothing like a DQ dipped soft serve cone. It’s actually to the good that the DW near me closed a few years ago. I like those cones a bit too much

[Libloather]

That meatloaf. Did mom ever bring it? Maybe scream louder.

[Dr. Sivana]

I had to use Google Maps to check if the old Dairy Queen at Ward and Colony in Wallingford, CT was kept in-tact. That’s where I grew up. New “DQ” sign replaced the classic “Dairy Queen”, and the blue paint is new. Other than that. Wonderfully unchanged. No indoor seating, and likely closed in the winter. It is NOT a “grill and chill”. Just chill.

[Vaquero]

Took an old girlfriend to Dairy Queen and asked for a Brasier Burger.

She didn’t see the humor in it.

[Chad_the_Impaler]

They don’t claim it is ice cream on the menu. For example, they don’t have ice cream cones or ice cream sandwiches, but “cones” and “DQ sandwiches.” It is actually labeled “ice milk” on the soft serve container behind the counter.

[Larry Lucido]

Ice milk. Not ice cream.

[StACase]

There are 121 to 125 Dairy Queen locations in Wisconsin,

So says Google AI

[stars & stripes forever]

The closure of 46 Dairy Queens is a drop in the bucket. 1 unsuccessful franchise owner doesn’t mean the end of a large restaurant chain

[Leaning Right]

A Dairy Queen near me closed down last year. And that was a blessing to the community.

Because it was one the dirtiest stores I’ve ever seen. And the old saying applies: If the front of a store is dirty, the back will be worse.

So, yeah. That place was food poisoning just waiting to happen.

[TalBlack]

I’ve been buying coffee and a bagel or egg sandwich for decades. No more, the cost is nuts. Minimum eight bucks.

[missthethunder]

Mine says

Texas has the most Dairy Queen locations
in the U.S., with over 600 establishments.

[faithhopecharity]

We liked DQ but it got so incredibly expensive we quit it.