Tony Lamb is the founder and CEO of Kona Ice, the cellular shaved ice franchise (ranked #30 on the 2025 Franchise 500) recognized for its tropical vans, kid-friendly Flavorwave station and deep group involvement. Lamb began out in gross sales, then launched Kona Ice in 2007, initially as a side hustle to show his youngsters about enterprise. He felt the ice cream truck mannequin was outdated, typically related to poor high quality and unreliable operators. When he thought of shaved ice — with its low product and labor prices and its extra interactive nature in comparison with ice cream — he knew it was the suitable match.
Kona Ice has since grown right into a 2,200-unit nationwide franchise that is returned greater than $200 million to colleges and native organizations. Regardless of the expansion, the model’s $3,000 annual royalty fee hasn’t modified in almost 20 years.
In the course of the pandemic, Lamb expanded his portfolio with Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee, a cellular coffee idea (#217 on the Franchise 500) named after his father and Beverly Ann’s Cookies, a dessert truck impressed by his mom.
Learn the way Lamb constructed a recession-proof, feel-good franchise enterprise — and what recommendation he has for aspiring entrepreneurs — right here.
Responses have been edited for size and readability.
How did your prior expertise put together you to launch a cellular shaved ice enterprise?
I began promoting vacuum cleaners throughout school, door-to-door, in Kentucky. I finally graduated and ran six workplaces, had 300 salespeople and made “rock star” cash for some time. It is a robust enterprise, nevertheless it teaches you every thing about small enterprise: marketing, buyer interplay, sourcing and constructing groups. After that, I did advertising and marketing consulting for some time. That gave me the boldness to assume, If I can determine vacuums and cellular advertising and marketing, I can determine an ice cream truck.
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What sparked the concept for Kona Ice?
One summer season, I used to be in my yard, and an ice cream truck got here down the road. My youngsters ran towards it, and it was every thing you warn youngsters about: a shirtless man in a white van with just a few stickers on the aspect. I believed, This business is already a part of our tradition, nevertheless it’s been dragged right down to the bottom widespread denominator. What if we constructed one thing lovely, open and interactive that oldsters might belief?
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Plenty of folks have nice concepts. How did you go from an concept to your first truck?
I knew the best way to make a automobile look nice as a result of I would constructed cellular billboard vans earlier than. I employed an engineer and a designer, brainstormed every thing from structure to customer interaction and constructed the primary truck in 2007. I believed I would have, possibly, 5 vans as a aspect hustle to show my youngsters about enterprise. However after I let somebody within the subsequent county strive one and so they succeeded, I knew I had one thing greater.
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You began franchising only a yr later. Why so quick?
A man noticed the truck on trip and needed one in Nashville. I spotted franchising was one of the best ways to carry the model tightly. Security and belief had been central, and you’ll’t get that if anybody can run their very own model. I set the royalty at $3,000 a yr — and I’ve by no means raised it. I did not wish to get grasping. I needed franchisees to maintain the lion’s share of the cash.
What had been the important thing improvements that helped Kona Ice develop?
The large one is the Flavorwave, a self-serve taste station on the aspect of the truck. It gave youngsters a “keys to the sweet retailer” feeling and justified the next worth level. For franchisees in colder climates, we added the Kona Mini so they might work indoor occasions. And, from day one, our franchisees made money, which fueled development.
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The pandemic worn out all occasions for a big period of time. How did you adapt?
We had been 95% event-based, and inside two weeks, each occasion was gone. I spent two days within the fetal place, then we launched “Curbside Kona” utilizing tailored supply software program. Clients booked stops on-line; we optimized routes and texted them arrival instances. That saved us in April and Might. From there, we constructed a $4 million customized platform, Kona OS, which now handles every thing from routing to advertising and marketing. It has made scaling a lot simpler.
Kona Ice can also be recognized for giving again. How did that begin?
In 2008, in the course of the financial disaster, PTAs instructed me they’d no finances. I supplied to come back to colleges, promote to youngsters and provides the PTA 25 to 30% again. Shaved ice has nice margins, so why not? It locked us into the group — we weren’t simply promoting a product; we had been serving to fund helmets, playgrounds, uniforms. That turned our tradition, and now our franchisees have given again over $200 million.
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You have since launched Travelin’ Tom’s Espresso and Beverly Ann’s Cookies. What was the inspiration to launch these manufacturers?
Throughout Covid downtime, I dusted off some ideas I would been sitting on. We prototyped a espresso truck and named it after my dad — a colourful, gregarious man. It took off. Then I created a cookie-and-ice-cream truck named after my mother, utilizing her school portrait on the aspect. Each manufacturers use the identical cellular merchandising rules that make Kona profitable.
Trying again, what is the single most necessary choice you made that set Kona Ice on this path?
Not altering the royalty. Buyers have instructed me to change to a share, however that is not who we’re. Preserving it at $3,000 a yr makes franchisees wholesome and retains competitors out. You possibly can’t construct what we have constructed and cost what we cost — and I would like the folks doing the work to make the cash.
Tony Lamb is the founder and CEO of Kona Ice, the cellular shaved ice franchise (ranked #30 on the 2025 Franchise 500) recognized for its tropical vans, kid-friendly Flavorwave station and deep group involvement. Lamb began out in gross sales, then launched Kona Ice in 2007, initially as a side hustle to show his youngsters about enterprise. He felt the ice cream truck mannequin was outdated, typically related to poor high quality and unreliable operators. When he thought of shaved ice — with its low product and labor prices and its extra interactive nature in comparison with ice cream — he knew it was the suitable match.
Kona Ice has since grown right into a 2,200-unit nationwide franchise that is returned greater than $200 million to colleges and native organizations. Regardless of the expansion, the model’s $3,000 annual royalty fee hasn’t modified in almost 20 years.
In the course of the pandemic, Lamb expanded his portfolio with Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee, a cellular coffee idea (#217 on the Franchise 500) named after his father and Beverly Ann’s Cookies, a dessert truck impressed by his mom.
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