Dairy Queen is looking to expand in new markets, including Australia and Taiwan, says the company’s CEO, Troy Bader.
The Berkshire Hathaway-owned fast-food chain operates over1250 stores in China, its second-largest market. Dairy Queen has more than 7,000 stores worldwide.
According to Bader, the company often looks to markets adjacent to existing ones, so it can take advantage of existing supply chains when considering where to expand.
Bader said that Taiwan is on their list for exploration, along with Australia, India, and Europe.
Bader added that Dairy Queen would be mindful of political concerns in whichever market it entered.
Berkshire majority owner Warren Buffet said he felt “better” about deploying capital in Japan than Taiwan, reflecting US tensions with China.
Dairy Queen sales topped $5.7 billion last year, up from more than $5.5 billion in 2021, despite distribution problems as warehouses struggled to retain labor.
The 83-year-old company is counting on greater customer use of its DQ Rewards digital app to fuel growth, with more than 7 million US and Canadian downloads so far.