Tony Lamb is the founder and CEO of Kona Ice, Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee, and Beverly Ann’s Cookies. When Tony launched Kona Ice in 2007, he wanted to give families a better “ice cream truck” experience after his 3-year-old daughter had an awful encounter with an ice cream truck driver. Since then, Tony has revolutionized the food truck space, growing Kona Ice into the World’s Largest Food Truck Company with more than 2,200 franchisee-owned trucks across 50 states and Canada.
Keeping that same innovative vision, Tony launched Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee Truck in 2020 and Beverly Ann’s Cookies in 2024. With nearly 400 franchised trucks on the road, Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee was rated the 2026 #1 New & Emerging Franchise by Entrepreneur Magazine—the same prestigious top honor Kona Ice received when it was named the #1 New Franchise in the US in 2012.
Beyond these top rankings, Kona Ice regularly ranks among the Top 25 Fastest-Growing Franchises in America and has been consistently ranked #1 or #2 in Franchisee Satisfaction by Franchise Business Review for the past decade. Additionally, Tony was named the 2021 Chief Executive Officer for a Large Private Company by the Cincinnati Business Courier and was inducted into the KY Entrepreneur Hall of Fame in 2023.
Beverages are becoming one of QSR’s strongest levers for traffic, margin, and brand differentiation—and where major growth industrywide is taking shape, from big chains jumping in to upstarts signing huge deals. This panel will bring together senior leaders to discuss how signature drinks, flavor innovation, pricing strategy, and experiential beverage programs can reinforce brand identity, elevate perceived value, and unlock incremental revenue across dayparts.
