Today we’d like to introduce you to Melanie Miller.
Hi Melanie, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
While we’ve spent most of our adult lives in the Dallas area, my family moved to Granbury for a few years in 2017. We fell in love with this shaved ice truck near us and when we were planning to move back up in 2022, I told my husband I wished I could find a way to take my Pineapple Upside Down Cake snowcone with me. Next thing you know, I was asking about a franchise. I told my husband – who absolutely thought I was joking – and a year later we signed on the dotted line for the territory and bought a snow cone trailer. The Downtown McKinney area was the perfect location for it and we were so lucky to land just outside of the Downtown Square for our opening summer season in 2023. Due to McKinney city ordinance, we’re only open seasonally, typically from early May thru Labor Day. We knew we wanted to be in Frisco too, if we could find the right location. A friend mentioned a building at Hillcrest and Ohio that used to be a snowcone spot so I called the current building owner to ask if they’d be willing to let me open it back up as one and fortunately, the answer was yes! 2024 saw us open the Frisco location which has a walk-up window and a drive-thru window allowing us to be open for year-round service!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Gosh, no! Opening any small business is bound to come with obstacles but admittedly, it’s much harder than I thought. Marketing a new Company within a community that’s never heard of you was our first big hurdle. Next, it’s staffing and that is from multiple perspectives. It’s not just a matter of hiring a set number of team members, but hiring the right people. Our service level and consistency in the quality of our product are the two things that are most important, in my opinion, and ensuring the right people are on the team to execute is critical. Doing it across multiple locations complicates it even further.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
We specialize in the unique! It’s definitely not your ordinary snowcone. We offer gourmet flavor shaved-ice combinations, including a pineapple upside-down cake snow cone that’s topped with pineapple chunks and a house-made brown sugar reduction. Another option is a strawberry cheesecake snow cone topped with a full slice of cheesecake, whipped topping, graham cracker crumbs and strawberry drizzle.
You can also enjoy all of the good ole flavors that you grew up with, along with a number of dye-free and sugar-free options. Every cup comes with a monkey on it to top off that nostalgic vibe.
I’’m most of proud of my team. I still work a full-time job outside of this and they are absolute rockstars who work hard to deliver the best experience to everyone who comes to visit our little spots. No matter what kind of day you’re having, coming to get a snowcone should be the best part of it. My team works hard to make sure that happens. We also do as much as we can to support our surrounding communities. From Spirit Nights to donations, we actively seek out ways to support local schools and non-profit organizations.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
This will always be home. Access to literally everything you could possible need and then some. Which is exhilarating and equally what makes the market so competitive.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.funkymunkyshavedice.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/funkymunky_frisco/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/funkymunkyshavedicefrisco/
- LinkedIn: https://www.facebook.com/funkymunkyshavedicemckinney/
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/funkymunky_shavedice_mckinney/
