Franchise Facts Report → brands → Kona Ice
Kona Ice franchise — is it worth it?
Medium risk Growing network
Kona Ice is a mobile food and beverage franchise specializing in shaved ice, with an initial investment ranging from $114,730 to $228,601.
Everything below is free, read straight off Kona Ice's registered filing, with where the numbers land against food & beverage peers. Weighing Kona Ice against other options? Get a free shortlist of franchises that fit your budget.
Figures above are as disclosed in Kona Ice's most recent FDD (registered 2026). Source: Wisconsin Dept. of Financial Institutions — Franchise Registration · filing 641104 — check it yourself. See every other Wisconsin-registered franchise.
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Kona Ice franchise profit — what the FDD discloses
Plainly: Kona Ice does not disclose franchise profit or revenue. Its most recent FDD makes no Item 19 financial performance representation, so there is no franchisor-backed earnings figure for Kona Ice — any number quoted elsewhere is an estimate, not a disclosure. The absence is itself worth weighing (42% of food & beverage franchisors in our corpus do disclose); the fees, litigation and outlet churn Kona Ice's FDD does contain are on this page. For brands that put earnings on paper, see Food & beverage franchises with disclosed Item 19 earnings.
Kona Ice lawsuits & legal history (FDD Item 3)
Kona Ice's most recently filed Franchise Disclosure Document (2026) does disclose 1 legal proceeding in Item 3 . Item 3 is the item where a franchisor must put its material legal history on the record. Two things it is not: it covers the franchisor and its predecessors, parents and affiliates, so a disclosed case is not necessarily a suit against Kona Ice itself; and a disclosure is a fact, not a finding of wrongdoing — most entries are contract disputes with former franchisees, which every large system accumulates. 1 of those proceedings were brought by franchisees against the franchisor — the split that actually matters, because franchisees suing their franchisor is the signal a buyer is looking for. Item 3 of the source FDD describes each case.
Kona Ice closures & failure rate
Before you sign, Kona Ice will hand you a list of current owners to call as references — and they choose who's on that list. It won't include the owners who quit, got bought out, or were forced out last year. The FDD does report that number, even though the reference list leaves those people off. Below is what Kona Ice's most recent filing shows, and whether it's normal for a food & beverage of this kind.
The closest thing an FDD has to a failure rate is Item 20 — outlet openings, closures, terminations and non-renewals, reported by the franchisor. Kona Ice's latest tables show a growing franchised network. Its franchised-outlet closure rate — closures, terminations and non-renewals against outlets — is 1.5%, against a food & beverage median of 3.3% — at or better than the category. Net franchised outlets moved +113 to 1,929 in the latest reported year.
Who owns Kona Ice?
Kona Ice's franchise is offered by Kona Ice, Inc. — the franchisor named on the cover of its most recently filed Franchise Disclosure Document (2026), and the entity a franchisee actually signs with. That name comes straight off the filing at WI DFI; it identifies the franchisor, not necessarily the ultimate parent company behind it.
Compare Kona Ice head-to-head
Food & beverage franchises at a similar investment level
Anyone weighing Kona Ice is really weighing it against the other brands their money could go into. These are the closest by total initial investment (FDD Item 7), each with its own FDD-based page.
Kona Ice franchise — frequently asked
Who owns Kona Ice — who is the franchisor?
Kona Ice's most recently filed FDD (2026) names Kona Ice, Inc. as the franchisor — the entity you would actually sign the franchise agreement with, as stated on the disclosure document itself. A registry filing names the franchisor, not necessarily its ultimate parent company.
How much does a Kona Ice franchise cost?
Kona Ice's most recently filed FDD (Item 7) puts the total estimated initial investment at $114,730 – $228,601, with an initial franchise fee of $15,000. That price is the franchisor's own estimate of what it takes to open, not a quote. Against food & beverage peers it sits in the top quartile (median $379,725).
How much profit does a Kona Ice franchise make?
Kona Ice makes no Item 19 financial performance representation, so there is no franchisor-disclosed revenue or profit figure for Kona Ice at all — and profit would never be disclosed even where earnings are, because it depends on your rent, labor and how you operate. Any profit figure quoted elsewhere is an estimate, not a disclosure.
Does Kona Ice disclose financial performance (Item 19)?
No — Kona Ice's most recent FDD makes no Item 19 financial performance representation. Its absence is worth weighing: 42% of food & beverage franchisors in our corpus do disclose.
Are there lawsuits against Kona Ice?
Kona Ice's most recently filed FDD (2026) discloses 1 legal proceeding in Item 3. Item 3 covers the franchisor, its predecessors, parents and affiliates — so a disclosed case is not necessarily a suit against Kona Ice itself, and a disclosure is not a finding of wrongdoing. 1 of the disclosed proceedings were brought by franchisees against the franchisor.
Is Kona Ice a good franchise to buy?
Nobody can answer that from Kona Ice's numbers alone — it comes down to how its investment, earnings, litigation and franchisee churn stack up against food & beverage peers and against your own budget. Our read on this filing is medium risk. Every figure behind that read is on this page for free. If you're comparing options, the free shortlist on this page matches you with 5–10 franchises that fit your budget and industry.
Get a free email when something changes on Kona Ice or food & beverage: a new FDD registration, a new lawsuit, an outlet count that shifts, or Item 19 earnings going from undisclosed to disclosed. Pulled straight from the same state registries this page is built on.