Consumers in Lancaster, South Carolina, can soon experience what it’s like to eat their favorite pizza, lunch, or dessert treats—served inside hot cones made of fresh pizza dough. “The Original” Kono Pizza opened Monday, May 16, as the first location in a Walmart for the brand, at 805 S Carolina 9 Bypass, Lancaster, South Carolina. “The Original” Kono Pizza recently inked a deal with Walmart to introduce the franchise in the chain retailer’s locations across the country.
The new “Original” Kono Pizza is owned and operated by Carl and Gayle Adams, a husband/wife duo, who first learned of the business during a trip to Singapore, where Gayle craved a meal that wasn’t a pretzel or from a full-service restaurant. After spotting “The Original” Kono Pizza, she decided to order a pizza cone and fell in love with the food and the concept. After the trip, Gayle couldn’t forget her experience. With her husband she decided to purchase the franchise. Gayle’s work experience includes refurbishing military vehicles and Carl’s work lies in electrical engineering, specifically as a patent examiner. The couple is looking forward to their new business endeavor where they’ll be the first in the company to introduce the cone shaped snacks in a Walmart location. The couple purchased rights to open three locations and are hoping to get the next two up and running over the next couple of years.
“Our new ‘Original’ Kono Pizza in Lancaster offers consumers a way to enjoy a delicious snack on the fly,” Gayle Adams says. “They’re eaten the same way as an ice cream cone, except with biting instead of licking. The soft, hot, baked crust wraps perfectly around the pizza, deli, and dessert fillings to form just the right size treat to tide you over to your next meal.”
For those who love savory flavors, the variety of pizza cones and the deli cone called Prosciutto & Mozzarella are among customer favorites. The sweet tooth will enjoy the wide variety of dessert cones, including the Ghiradelli cones stuffed with the world-famous premium chocolate and an assortment of other sweet fillings. A variation of the classic Italian dessert tiramisu, filled with saviordo biscuit, coffee syrup, and tiramisu crème, as well as a variety of cannoli cones.
The pizza cones feature a thinner crust, low-moisture cheese, and are baked in just three minutes in the brand’s proprietary oven to create a greaseless pizza snack option. Consumers can choose between several pizza cone options, including cult classics like Margherita. Along with pizza, “The Original” Kono Pizza menu also features salads and roasted coffees.
“The Original” Kono Pizza locations are popping up all over as the portable, easy-to-eat, coned food trend grows. With 130 Kono Pizza locations already in 20 countries, Kono USA, the parent company of “The Original” Kono Pizza is operating locations in Florida, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina, and is bringing this diverse menu across the United States with mobile carts, kiosks, and in-line stores set to open in high-traffic areas with 10 locations in Georgia, 21 locations in Texas, 10 along the West Coast starting in California and three locations in the Washington D.C./Maryland area.