September 26, 2025
Tony Lamb, CEO and founder of Kona Ice, reveals how he built the world's largest mobile food empire with 2,200 franchise trucks across three brands: Kona Ice, Traveling Tom's and Beverly Ann's.
In this Fast Casual Nation episode, Lamb breaks down his unconventional flat-fee royalty model ($3,000/year vs. percentage-based), vertical integration strategy that includes in-house truck manufacturing, proprietary technology platform and event-based business model that has generated over $200 million in community giveback.
Learn how this mobile concept achieves $250,000 average unit volumes with 6-8% food costs through complete operational control from supply chain to insurance and why Lamb believes the future lies in platform-based multi-brand expansion.