What's the secret to the perfect snow cone? Learn from this Kona Ice expert
When the mercury teases 100 degrees, McKenna Zufall drives one of the most popular trucks in town.
The 20 year old Lancaster-native has spent her last three summers working at Kona Ice inside one of their dozen ice trucks.
The third-year nursing student at Ohio University heard about Kona Ice from a friend while working as a manager at an ice cream shop. After reaching out to the owners, the next thing she knew, she had a job with the locally popular shaved ice company.
The first Kona Ice truck made its debut on the streets of Boone County, Kentucky. The brainchild of Tony Lamb, he wanted a shaved ice company modeled on the ice cream truck experience, according to the company, and just like that, Kona Ice was born.
The company sells shaved ice doused with flavored syrup of a variety of flavors. By 2023, through its franchise model, the company now has over 1,700 franchises across 49 states, Canada, and Mexico.
Zufell said there are a lot of perks to working on a colorful, ice-filled truck in the peak of the hot season; free shaved ice (her favorite flavor is cotton candy,) the fact that the faces of people, mostly kids, light up when she pulls up in the highly decorated and colorful box truck, and most of all, the fact that the franchise owners are "some of the kindest people you'll ever meet."
"It's all fun all of the time," Zufell said Wednesday while manning the truck in Pataskala.
'No tears with Kona Ice'
Lisa Lanning and her husband, John, started their Kona Ice franchise in central Ohio in 2011 along with their daughter, Jessica Crites, and son-in-law, Scott Crites.
Their motto is simple:
"There are no tears with Kona Ice."
But it certainly seems there are rewards. The frozen treat franchise was named a top franchise by Entrepreneur magazine and Franchise Business Review in 2021, and has developed its platform around giving back to the community. Non-profits and local organizations can hire the truck for events, and the franchises share a percentage of its earnings with their partners, Lanning said in an interview with the Dispatch.
"We are easy to work with," Lanning said. "Just tell us where to park."
Each day, the truck gets loaded with 30 bags weighing 20 pounds of ice, and on a typical day, a single truck goes through about 600 pounds.
However, Zufell says that in the wake of the heat wave, they've had to restock while out at events. On weekends, the trucks in their franchise go through 1 ½ tons of ice. Their warehouse ice maker can produce 1,500 pounds of ice per day, and on weekends they buy extra from Home Ice Company.
Lanning said that the franchise's top flavors are blue raspberry, cotton candy, and tiger's blood.
Their hand-poured lavender lemonade flavor is also popular, and their syrup is 40% Stevia, so it's not as sugary as some would think, said Lanning. On an average day, a single truck will go through 10 gallons of flavored syrups but that number can surpass 30 gallons on a very busy day.
Just like Zufell, Lanning says that her favorite part of the business is seeing people, mostly kids run up to the truck at major events, clamoring for their frozen treats.
"To see these little kids running up to us after a soccer game, yelling "Kona Ice!" You can't help but smile. You feel loved," said Lanning.
Can I get a Kona Ice truck for my event?
If you're interested in booking a Kona ice truck, check out their website to find out how to get in touch with a Kona Ice franchise near you. There is also a "Find a Kona" feature that allows you to search your zip code to find a Kona truck closest to you.
@ShahidMeighan
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Kona Ice shaved ice serves cool treats in heat wave
