Business

Dairy Queen closes dozens of locations nationwide

Dozens of Dairy Queen locations have closed across the U.S. ©Image Credit: Wiki Commons

From Texas to Alaska, multiple Dairy Queen restaurants have closed after a franchise dispute.

This is not the result of a single nationwide shutdown but a mix of local business struggles and a major franchise dispute that's hit one state especially hard. Let’s look into it all.

Building disputes force massive Texas closures

The biggest chunk of closures happened in Texas, where 42 Dairy Queen locations shut down between February and March.

According to the Austin American-Statesman, the closures followed a dispute between Dairy Queen's U.S. parent company and Project Lonestar, a Texas-based franchise operator.

The company reportedly lost its franchise rights after failing to complete required building remodels. Once those rights were revoked, it could no longer order official Dairy Queen products, forcing the affected restaurants to close.

Longtime franchise owners pack up across the map

The closures weren’t limited to Texas. In Alaska, a longtime franchisee closed three restaurants in Anchorage, Wasilla, and Palmer, leaving just one Dairy Queen still operating in the entire state.

Meanwhile, in Great Falls, Montana, another franchise owner shut down a Dairy Queen after 39 years in business. Rather than retire the location entirely, the owner plans to reopen it as a Mediterranean restaurant, saying he wanted to bring "something fresh and exciting" to the community.

The chain isn't going anywhere but the restaurant business is getting tougher

Despite the recent closures, Dairy Queen isn't disappearing. The chain still operates roughly 7,800 locations across more than 20 countries and continues to expand internationally.

In fact, the company recently announced plans to open 20 new DQ Grill & Chill restaurants in Puerto Rico.

Rising costs and corporate demands squeeze local owners

Still, the closures tell a tale of the chain's struggles and serve as a signal of how difficult the restaurant business has become. Independent franchisees are facing rising operating costs, tougher economic conditions, and increasing corporate requirements.

They have to manage these pressures while trying to keep decades-old neighborhood restaurants profitable. Sometimes, the tradeoff is a familiar local spot disappearing from the map.

Source: Fox Business

Papa Murphy's closing 50 stores as pizza chains keep shrinking

It's getting harder and harder to find your favorite pizza joint as more stores across the country permanently close. Papa Murphy's has announced that it will close up to 50 underperforming locations. Closures will happen over the next six to nine months It's going

Seagate's 2TB Xbox Drive Drops From $140 to $90

Modern games are getting bigger every year. In fact, GTA VI is rumored to require around 300GB of storage for the initial download alone. At that rate, it won't be long before your Xbox starts asking you to delete games to make room for new ones. Fortunately, you

Delta's new cheaper first class comes with a big catch

If you've always wanted to experience flying first class, Delta's new cheaper rate could make it possible. But not so fast. Before you book your ticket, several perks are being removed that might make or break it for you. A scaled-back premium cabin experience Delta

New York forces Walmart to install silent alarms for workers

Retail workers deal with a lot more than stocking shelves and ringing up groceries these days. How New York is giving retail workers a silent lifeline From shoplifting incidents to aggressive customers, safety has become an issue and New York wants stores to be better prepared. Hence, a new state