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 shaved ice trucks.

McKenna Zufall, 20, a nursing student from Lancaster, serves up her favorite flavor of shaved ice — cotton candy — in a Kona Ice truck while serving a day care in Pataskala. Ready for the summer heat, each Kona Ice truck holds 600 lbs. of ice cubes and goes through an average of ten gallons of flavored syrups daily. On the busiest weekends, the trucks owned by the Kona Ice Lancaster franchise can go through a ton and a half of ice. The top flavors are, in order, blue raspberry, cotton candy and tiger’s blood. Nationally, Kona Ice ranks among the top franchises to own among food 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 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.

Zufall said there are a lot of perks to working on a colorful, ice-filled truck during a heat wave: 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," Zufall said Wednesday while staffing the truck in Pataskala.

'No tears with Kona Ice'

Brielle Kazadi, 2, eats grape-flavored shaved ice served from a Kona Ice truck, part of the Lancaster franchise, on Wednesday at the World of Wonderment day care center in Pataskala.
Brielle Kazadi, 2, eats grape-flavored shaved ice served from a Kona Ice truck, part of the Lancaster franchise, on Wednesday at the World of Wonderment day care center in Pataskala.

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. Nonprofits and local organizations can hire the truck for events, and the franchise shares 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, Zufall 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? 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.

Flavored syrups are served through exterior dispensers on a truck from the Kona Ice Lancaster franchise group, which served shaved ice treats Wednesday to a day care in Pataskala. The top flavors are, in order, blue raspberry, cotton candy and tiger’s blood. A truck can go through 10 gallons of flavoring on an average day and up to 30 gallons on the busiest days.

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 Zufall, 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.

A Kona Ice truck serves the World of Wonderment day care center in Pataskala on Wednesday. Ready for the summer heat, each Kona Ice truck holds 600 pounds of ice cubes and goes through an average of 10 gallons of flavored syrups daily. On the busiest weekends, the trucks owned by the Kona Ice Lancaster franchise can go through a ton and a half of ice.

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.

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@ShahidMeighan

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Kona Ice shaved ice serves cool treats in heat wave