driver

server

event specialist

barista

team member

Kona Ice

I would drive to different events and serve shaved ice. I preferred to drive one of the trucks. The other three units are pulled behind a company vehicle. Usually a pick up truck or SUV. I did not have enough training on the pull  behind units and backing up was a struggle. Therefore I did not like to pick up any events that required one of those units. The owners are laid back, nice and fun to work for. Other employees did agree on the lack of training on the pull behind units.  The other employees were great and flexible to work with. I loved the excitement from the children when they saw the KONA truck pull up. It was fun to watch them make their own snow cones on the side of the big truck. I could also make custom flavors up in the truck, but most of the children always made their own on the outside of the truck. Most events I worked over the summer were long days but some days were shorter. I already have good time management but this job helped me with that too. I would have to leave usually thirty minutes after clocking in. During that time I would have to check all of my flavors, cups, spoons, napkins, straws, and ice. I drove the back ways to all of the events so I had to make sure I had enough time to get there going that way. We usually had an hour to an hour and half to arrive. I did not like the fact there are no benefits. Over all it is a fun side job. The downfall is, there are not many events during the winter due to the cold.

At Kona, there wasn’t any training. You came in and got a walk around the building and then you were thrown into a big truck by yourself driving an hour away every day. My schedule was never consistent. I asked when starting out if i could do something on the days that I didn’t have an event just to make up my hours. They said yes at my interview but I never saw that happen. The truck themselves didn’t have the best steering or brakes. The tips were good some days but the paychecks not as much. I never got my direct deposit put in no matter how many times I tried to reach out. The owners were a family, and the one day I got something wrong due to them changing which truck everyone would be in the day before, one of the owners showed up at the event I was at and really laid it on me for doing the wrong thing. Not very understanding at all when I tried to express that I knew I was wrong. Then I was accused of doing something else whenever the office manager never did anything to help guide me with this event and I put my foot down saying that I wasn’t told anything. There would be some days where I would only work a single event or I’d get home at 10 at night multiple days in a row. The schedule wasn’t there, neither was the money. 

Throughout my employment at Kona Ice, I encountered various challenges stemming from inadequate training and the disregard for employee concerns. Despite the friendly work culture, management pressured new employees into tasks they weren't prepared for, resulting in preventable mistakes. 
In particular, my experience highlighted the need for thorough and timely training, especially for driving tasks. To maintain a safe working environment and set employees up for success, it's crucial for management to create contingency plans, offer targeted support, and allocate sufficient travel time, ensuring staff can uphold the safe driving practices expected of them.

I love working at Kona Ice. I really do. The only negative part about working here is that it can very how many hours you get throughout the year considering that your working for a food truck in a sense and if people aren't planning events in the winter for example, because its cold you might not get hours. Also because this job is all event based,you never really have a set schedule. It changes every week and you could literally find out the night before that you are working.
Other than that, Kona ice is a really great place to work and you find yourself in some pretty interesting places and serving some pretty interesting people. One time I served a surprise birthday party at the PetSmart's Corporation office in Phoenix and another day I was serving at a Motor Cross game near Lake Pleasant. This job may have its negatives but the positives really defeat the negatives.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I joined the company, but I quickly grew to appreciate the day-to-day operations.  It's quite simple.  You make Shaved Ice, drive large trucks, learn how to stock and replace flavoring, and how to best manage your truck for success.  The culture is very easy-going and everyone gets along very well.  I'd say the hardest part of the job are the lengths of shifts sometimes, as serving Ice in a truck alone for eight hours isn't always the greatest.  The most enjoyable part is seeing the look on kids' faces as soon as you pull up to the venue.  I remember being that kid chomping at the bit to get some Kona! During my time at Kona, I've learned how to better manage my time, responsibly re-supply my truck, and making sure I'm there for my Co-Workers when they need me.

Working for Kona Ice was always fun, even doing the regular inventory and cleaning that is required. The company and co-workers are laid back and friendly. They taught me many things including how to be more productive and faster with counting cash profits and keeping up with inventory. Managment was always ontop of things when they needed to be and the workplace culture was relaxing and inviting. The Hardest part of the job was navigating long distances with a timely manor, having to make sure that you gave yourself enough time to get to the trucks, check to make sure you hav everything on board and getting to the location without being late. The most enjoyable part of the job in my opinion was being able to travel and see different parts of Hemet, Brea and Riverside countys.

Weekly day schedules are given out, but the actual times on the days you are working are not given until the day before your shift. A typical day includes showing up at the warehouse and preparing your truck in about 15 minutes, and then driving anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 and a half hours to an event, where you park the truck and set up inside. Then you typically hand out served ice cups for several hours and depending on the event take payment from customers or from an event organizer afterwards. Then comes the drive back to the warehouse, where you have an extensive cleaning checklist to finish out before leaving for the day (typically 30 minutes to an hour of cleaning after returning to the warehouse) an 11 to 12 hour day is very normal here.

My typical day at work was to organize and check over and prepare for the events for the day, I learned how much of an impact that I put on people that I didn't even know I did, every part of my job was extremely enjoyable, my boss trusted the decisions that I made I never let anything get in the way and if it did I learned to fix the problems without bothering him I can think quick and always have a solution the hardest part of my job was saying goodbye when the company closed I spent my days going to schools heading up school functions and teaching families respect and showing love and compassion especially to the most unfortunate family so good and not so good areas when there are gangs I loved making a difference in people's lives

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Driver 198 salaries reported	$17.03 per hour
Server 187 salaries reported	$16.55 per hour
Event specialist 118 salaries reported	$17.14 per hour
Barista 79 salaries reported	$15.56 per hour
Team member 21 salaries reported	$16.50 per hour

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