You might have heard some of the internet rumors floating around that Dairy Queen is closing, we’ve gotten to the bottom of it in this article. Find out the truth about Dairy Queen closing.
Dairy Queen has always stood out as a unique fast-food chain because it is not known just for its burgers or fries like some of its contemporaries, its big pull is its legendary ice cream selection.
With its celebrated menu including the extensive blizzards selections, banana splits, burgers, hot dogs, shakes, and upside-down dipped and flipped cones, the fast-food olympian is a favorite for not only lunch and dinner, but dessert as well.
Dairy Queen’s nostalgic presence including its iconic logo, colors, and interior design, has flooded the internet recently, but with it came rumors that the ice cream queen might be locking up its doors for good. There were gut wrenches and gasps before many fans jumped online to see if it could be true.
Let’s take a good look at where these rumors came from to see if there is any truth behind them.
So, Is Dairy Queen Closing?
You can breathe—the fast-food juggernaut will not be going out of business anytime soon. Dairy Queen seems to be doing just fine.
According to Nation’s Restaurant News, Dairy Queen has seen growth since Covid-19 due to expanding its menu and opening new stores in other countries.
With ever-clever marketing and an imprint on the mind of parents rewarding their children with an ice cream treat at one of their storefronts, Dairy Queen successfully maintains its reputation as a “fun” and a “special” brand of fast food.
All of these allusions have helped the fast-food restaurant maintain a positive and trusting image over the years that keeps hungry families coming back with a smile. And even if it is your guilty pleasure, the chain has also cultivated a culture of being a “summer” choice compared to its competitors.
So with all of the positivity going for them, even in a pandemic, how did rumors that Dairy Queen was closing begin?
Where Did These Rumors Come From?
It all started at the end of 2020 when Money Pop, a media outlet, insinuated that Dairy Queen was closing up shop for good.
A few years earlier, news broke that the second-largest DQ franchise was filing for bankruptcy, so many fans had reason to panic.
But as with any internet rumor, the suggestion turned to assumptions fast. Oreo Blizzard buyers went to their favorite internet search bar to find out if there was any truth behind their favorite menu items being gone forever.
But the rumor was just that: simply a rumor. It began when a series of confusions over one of Money Pop’s advertisements hit social media pages.
It was a click-bait, and when readers clicked on the ad, they came to a page that explained that DQ was not going out of business, but simply that the fast-food restaurant was not doing as well as it once had.
Will It Close in the Future?
As any good PR team would do, Dairy Queen jumped to clear up the fuss.
The company assured the public that they would not be closing, at least not anytime soon. The brand also clarified that they were not losing money as the Money Pop ad had made it look.
Since then, Dairy Queen has taken several measures to expand and prove their healthy business model was still thriving.
Just this year (2022), Dairy Queen announced that they would be opening over 600 locations in China by 2030, 100 of those will be open this year.
DQ also announced new menu items, which is always a good move in the fast-food game.
But the rumors didn’t stop with Dairy Queen, they hit other fast food juggernauts as well, such as Taco Bell, KFC, and Pizza Hut, as well as larger restaurants like Red Robin, Olive Garden, and The Cheesecake Factory, suggesting that they were going out of business as well.
Other Restaurant Closings
It made a lot of sense, and some restaurants did some doors of some of their storefronts due to complications with the pandemic. Most food businesses were hit hard.
300 Pizza Hut locations closed up, yet the pizza giant did not go out of business entirely and even saw a comeback throughout 2021. Others, such as IHOP, Chuck E Cheese, and Dave and Buster’s did close more doors in 2021 due to labor shortages.
But most, like Taco Bell, reacted the same way the DQ did: by extinguishing the rumors as false.
So Dairy Queen is still alive, and thank goodness—I’m not sure where else you can get a dipped ice cream cone like that. The company seems to have navigated the pandemic well in fact, despite the challenges to the food industry that lockdown brought.
Through innovations and increased store openings, Dairy Queen has shown its dominance in the fast-food marketplace.
Another thing we’ve learned from this incident is that internet rumors can spread quickly with clever wording, so it’s important to do your research, not just assume one headline is the truth.
But for now, rest easy. Your favorite ice cream and burger chain is in good shape and will be around for years to come. Stop in to try their popular blizzards and other items today!
Well, I don’t think just because they are opening DQs in China doesn’t mean they are not in trouble in the U.S.A. In fact , just near me in NC, 3 have already closed shop. So, I think you are mistaken.