Dairy Queen Closes Three Alaska Stores in 2026

Three Dairy Queen stores in Alaska have closed this month, according to the Anchorage Daily News. The franchise owner of the Anchorage, Wasilla, and Palmer locations recently shut down these operations. This follows a larger trend of closures, including over 40 locations in Texas in early 2025, attributed to a remodeling disagreement between Dairy Queen and franchisee Project Lonestar. Following these recent closures, Alaska is left with only one Dairy Queen location statewide, situated in Soldotna. The company's online store locator appears to be outdated, still listing 11 locations for Alaska, though only Soldotna is currently functional. Dairy Queen, owned by International Dairy Queen, a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway since 1998, operates more than 7,800 locations globally. Despite these closures, the company is pursuing expansion in other regions, with plans to open 20 DQ Grill and Chill restaurants in Puerto Rico by 2036. These new locations will offer both hot food and the brand's signature frozen desserts.