Kona Ice
Food & Beverage · Ice Cream & Frozen Desserts
- Active units
- 1,929
Franchised, year-end 2025
About Kona Ice
The business model serves local communities by providing mobile concessions for schools, sporting events, and private gatherings. Franchisees utilize the proprietary Kona Entertainment Vehicle or smaller mobile units like kiosks and trailers to reach customers in various locations. The concept features a patented self-service system that allows customers to apply their own syrups to shaved ice products. This mobile food service brand focuses on community fundraising and event-based operations without the requirement of a permanent storefront.
Key terms
- Franchise fee
$15k
Brand Percentile Rankings
Rankings compare brands in the same operating year. Fee and investment figures come from the FDD (2026 filing); filings on file: 2024, 2025, 2026.
Growth
- Total locations1929
Franchised units open at year-end
- New openings140
Gross new units opened during the calendar year
- 1-year unit growth rate6.2%
Net unit growth versus prior year
- 3-year unit CAGR7.5%
Compound annual growth rate of unit count over the trailing 3 years
- Unit growth ratio140.0×
Cumulative opens / closures through year-end
Unit economics
- Annual unit volume (Median)—
Per FDD Item 19 disclosure
- Annual unit volume (25th percentile)—
Per FDD Item 19 disclosure
- Annual unit volume (75th percentile)—
Per FDD Item 19 disclosure
- 1-year Median AUV growth rate—
Year-over-year change in median AUV
- Store-level EBITDA Margin—
Median unit-level EBITDA / AUV
Investment profile
- Estimated initial investment$172k
Midpoint of estimated initial investment range
↓ Lower is better - Time to open7 months
Midpoint of average time from agreement to opening
↓ Lower is better - Royalty rate—
Percent of net sales paid to the franchisor
- Sales-to-investment ratio—
Median AUV / estimated initial investment midpoint
- Cash-on-cash returns—
Median unit-level EBITDA / estimated initial investment midpoint. Steady-state estimate; year 1 returns will be lower as the unit ramps to median volumes.
Franchisee healthLocked
- Unit closure ratio
- Transfer vs. closure ratio
- Percent multi-unit franchisees
- Litigation rate
- EBITDA multiple on sales & transfers
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Location footprint
Showing 187 of 217 mapped locations
Sources
Financial and operating figures are sourced from the brand's Franchise Disclosure Documents. Brand percentile rankings are based on comparisons to other brands that include the same metrics in their Franchise Disclosure Documents.