Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee Trucks delight crowds of all sizes by serving gourmet lattes, spiced chai, sweet tea, and rich cold brews. The magic of Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee, a fast-growing mobile coffee franchise, is spreading nationwide! But they’re more than a fantastic menu of sweet and tasty beverages. Travelin’ Tom’s allows franchisees to tap into two unstoppable trends—specialty coffee and on-the-go convenience. With the mobile food service industry booming and coffee culture thriving, aspiring entrepreneurs are seizing the opportunity to bring high-quality, handcrafted beverages directly to eager customers. In this article, we’ll describe how these enterprising families journeyed from frozen treats as Kona Ice franchisees to hot coffee and specialty beverages as Travelin’ Tom’s franchise owners. You’ll soon discover that when passion meets opportunity, running a Travelin’ Tom’s franchise can be as energizing as a nitro cold brew.
Brewing Success with Travelin’ Tom’s
Today, more than ever, customers love having their favorite food and drinks come to them—and they want it their way. It’s no wonder the global mobile food services market, at $2.63 billion in 2024, is projected to grow more than 7% annually to $4.62 billion by 2032 (according to Business Research Insights). Coffee and snack shops that offer a variety of coffee beverages of different strengths, styles, bean types, and milks are rapidly growing in popularity. Enter Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee—delivering delightful drinks to meet these growing trends.
Meet Jon and Rachel Booms, who entered the mobile food truck business in 2014 as Kona Ice franchise owners, bringing frozen treats to customers in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City. More recently, they’ve expanded to offer craft coffees and specialty drinks as Travelin’ Tom’s franchise owners. Created by the founder of Kona Ice, Tony Lamb, the Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee Truck brand has helped extend the franchisees’ business opportunities beyond seasonal shaved ice.
Before investing in Kona Ice, Jon had worked as a corporate sales manager at a pharmaceutical company, and Rachel had homeschooled their five children and oversaw local school cooperatives. They didn’t quit their day jobs immediately to launch their business but did so gradually, stepping into full-time entrepreneurship as their business grew.
“It certainly didn’t happen overnight,” said Jon. “There was a long stretch from when we started in 2014 until ultimately doing Kona Ice full-time in 2022.”
As Kona Ice franchisees, they saw a tremendous opportunity when Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee debuted in 2021. The trucks offer hot, iced, and frozen coffee drinks, hot chocolate, apple cider, chai tea, and cold drink options, such as lemonade, energy drinks, and iced teas. Today, more than 200 Travelin’ Tom’s trucks operate in 49 states, and the franchise is still growing.
“From the moment we saw the potential of Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee, we knew it was a perfect fit for us,” said Jon. “We already had the infrastructure, customer base, and experience from running Kona Ice for over a decade, so expanding into the coffee business was a natural next step.”
Percolating Profits with Mobile Beverage Businesses
Today, the Booms operate 10 Kona Ice units (including seven trucks), two Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee Trucks and a Kona Ice stand in a minor league baseball stadium. As both brands and their products become more popular, they plan to add two more Kona Ice trucks in a new territory while continuing to establish their Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee presence in their current territory.
The Booms now employ up to 30 people during peak business periods, including family members who have taken on vital roles in the business. Their oldest daughter manages warehouse operations, while their teenage children assist at events, sometimes running entire trucks on their own.
“Our kids are ages 23, 19, 17, soon to be 16 and 12. So, most of them were little when we first invested in Kona Ice. One of the things that was important to us was just to introduce that entrepreneurial experience,” Rachel said. “Oftentimes, when they were young, we would take them in the trucks with us. They would work side by side with us. They would learn everything from customer service to money management to problem-solving, to just rolling up your sleeves and working hard.”
Jon said he’s enjoyed seeing them take the next step, which could ultimately mean working with them someday or having them take over the family business.
“It’s great that we have this in place to be able to do that,” he said.
Why Travelin’ Tom’s Is Rolling in Opportunity
The Booms explain that Travelin’ Tom’s isn’t just about coffee—it’s about offering a diverse menu that appeals to a broader audience. Everyone attending an event, from kids to grandparents, can find something they love on a Tom’s truck.
“Adults love the Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee Truck the way kids love Kona Ice,” said Rachel. “Parents are thrilled to have gourmet coffee at the same events where their kids enjoy Kona Ice, making it a great product extension rather than competition.”
While the Booms and their team of staff operate their Kona Ice trucks confidently, transitioning to Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee came with a bit of a learning curve—from operating new equipment to establishing a presence in a competitive coffee market. However, the corporate support the Booms have received from Travelin’ Tom’s has allowed them to hit the ground running and keep on rolling with opportunity.
“We absolutely made the right decision in who we’ve chosen to partner with. Servant leadership is really important, and that’s the model that we follow with our local operation and the model our franchisor operates off of,” Jon said. “They truly care about us and our success. They want to see nothing more than their franchisees succeed. And I know it’s not like that everywhere.”
Another Family Business That Runs on Kona and Tom’s
Sandra Andrews and her husband Ted bought their first Kona Ice truck in 2010 after Ted was downsized from a retail management position. Searching for a family-friendly, flexible business, they saw potential in the Kona Ice franchise model. Within a year of opening, they expanded to two Kona Ice trucks. The Andrews’ daughter, Blaise, was in eighth grade when her parents started their business. As a teen and later during college, she helped run the trucks at events and eventually quit her retail job to join her parents. A few years later, Louis Woodard, Blaise’s then-boyfriend and now husband, quit his full-time job to join the rest of the family.
Over the next decade, the family’s Kona fleet grew to seven Kona Ice trucks and four ancillary units. In 2023, the Andrews-Woodard family invested in their first Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee Truck. Quickly recognizing its year-round appeal, they purchased two more Travelin’ Tom’s trucks.
“All of us work on operations and management,” Blaise said. “I keep up with truck maintenance and do the employee schedule. Louis does all of our Travelin’ Tom’s truck bookings. He also works on inventory and ordering and does all of our social media. Sandra does all of the Kona books and works on business strategy and growth.”
Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee Trucks Fuel Business Growth
Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee delivers and delights crowds at corporate events, office buildings, schools, sports tournaments, and neighborhoods throughout the year. The ability to offer seasonal drinks, like hot cocoa in winter and lemonade in summer, allows the company to operate year-round. While Kona Ice ramps up in April and cools off in October, Travelin’ Tom’s appeals to beverage lovers in every season.
“With Kona Ice, business slows in the winter,” said Louis. “But Travelin’ Tom’s stays busy throughout the year, giving our team members steady hours and helping us keep great employees.”
Businesses and events that used to bring in Kona Ice once a year now book Travelin’ Tom’s all year long, illustrating how well the two brands serve different audiences—often at the same venue.
“They’re two different markets, but the two franchise brands complement one another. It’s a win-win,” Sandra said.
Corporate Support and Tasty Drinks Fuel Success
The best thing about being a part of a franchise is that it allows business owners to focus on delighting customers rather than worrying about branding, sourcing goods, or managing operations.
“Franchisor support starts as soon as you buy your first truck,” Sandra said, “and it never stops. They don’t just hand you the keys and wish you luck,” Sandra said. “They make sure you’re fully prepared.”
New Travelin’ Tom’s owners take a three-day training class, where they learn the menu, how to make the drinks, and how to clean and maintain the trucks properly.
Because the trucks come to where people gather—for example, stadiums, business events, or festivals—Travelin’ Tom’s franchise owners don’t have to hope customers will come through their doors. They go where the crowds are.
“We go to these sports tournaments where parents spend hours rooting for their children, and we bring them little cups of joy to get them through their day,” Blaise said.
The coffee has to be good to attract customers and ensure they return. “That’s where Travelin’ Tom’s stands out,” Louis said. “The trucks offer proprietary coffee blends and craft drinks, like the Tilt Nitro EnergyTM Drink, which competitors do not offer. We might not have the world’s largest menu, but everything we have, we do really well.”
The business is doing so well that Sandra said the team expects to buy additional Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee Trucks within the next three to five years, in addition to running their existing Tom’s and Kona Ice trucks.
“It’s a great family business because there’s something for everyone to do,” Blaise said. “We can split up responsibilities, and everybody has a hand in running the business and making it successful.”
Are You Ready to Leave the Daily Grind?
If you want to leave your corporate role or unfulfilling 9-5 to break into the mobile coffee business, it’s important to understand that it will be hard work. While the brand is fun and running your own business can be personally and financially rewarding, there is a hustle mentality, and you need to work your business.
“If you’re willing to roll up your sleeves and work hard, the harvest will be there,” Jon said. “You must be patient. The beauty of having a background with Kona Ice is that we have this Rolodex of contacts and people we’ve worked with. That makes it easy to go to them and say, ‘We have something just as great for year-round events.’ But if you’re starting off brand new with a mobile beverage truck, you’ll have to start from ground zero like we did back in 2014. Corporate will teach you everything you need to know to operate your business. But you have to put in the hard work to get it rolling”
Travelin’ Tom’s franchise owners will attest. The corporate office knows the secret sauce to a successful mobile beverage business, and you can achieve success as long as you’re willing to follow proven processes and learn from other Travelin’ Tom’s franchise owners.
“The corporate team provides an amazing experience,” Jon said. “The playbook is there. The community of help, support, and encouragement is there. It’s just a matter of trusting the process, following that playbook and great things happen.”
Franchise Owners Weigh In on the Travelin’ Tom’s Opportunity
Travelin’ Tom’s franchisees rate the young franchise highly. According to a Franchise Business Review Survey,
- 96% agree that their fellow franchisees are supportive of the brand.
- 96% believe that senior management acts with a high level of honesty and integrity.
- 96% agree that they trust their franchisor.
Based on franchise owner feedback, Travelin’ Tom’s has been recognized by Franchise Business Review as a Top Food Franchise in 2024 and a Top 200 Franchise and Top Franchise for Women in 2025.
If you enjoy engaging with your community and serving up smiles with delicious beverages, the Travelin’ Tom’s franchise opportunity just might be on the menu for you.
To invest in Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee, you’ll need a net worth of $100,000 and $30,000 cash. You also need to be prepared to spend the following:
The total investment necessary to begin the operation of a Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee franchise is between $201,620 and $259,625, according to its 2024 Franchise Disclosure Document; this includes:
- Franchise fee: $15,000
- Beverage Entertainment Vehicle (BEV): $171,950 ($20,000 deposit)
- Travelin’ Tom’s owners also pay a $3,000 royalty in years one and two. $4,000 in years 3-6 and $5,000 in years 7-10.
Travelin’ Tom’s owners enjoy protected territories and can apply for financing with lenders the company works with.
Ready to Brew Up Your New Business?
Visit ownacoffeetruck.com or email [email protected].
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