By Dani Tietz
dani@mahometnews.com
The summer joy of shaved ice will no longer be far away for Mahomet residents.
By June 11, Ice Daddy’s, owned by Jedi and Mellissa Brown, will set up shop to the east of Schnuck’s right behind Mahomet Dentistry.
“We’ve been thinking of the idea for a while, but we thought now was the best time to implement it with all that is going on,” Jedi said.
Like many food trucks, Ice Daddy’s had a summer full of festivals on the books. As event after event has been canceled, the business model needed to change a little bit.
By stationing a truck in Mahomet in the afternoon and evening hours on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the Browns believe they will be filling a nostalgic need.
“The whole premise behind the business idea we started with was because my partner, who lived in Decatur where they had these little shacks that sold shaved ice,” Jedi said. “He remembered that as a kid and wanted to kind of replicate that.”
The duo built a truck from scratch, taking it to local events throughout East Central Illinois, including the Mahomet Auto Fest where they first decided to venture into a more permanent location that offers shaved ice and a variety of syrup flavors.
“This year we’ve been able to purchase an additional unit so we have a trailer that we’re building,” Jedi said. “We’ll also do an indoor catering service with a cart that we can wheel inside with a limited amount of flavors.”
The additional unit will continue to be available for parties and gatherings when they can happen again.
Originally the plot on Eastwood Drive was going to include outdoor seating, but due to regulations associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, Ice Daddy’s will continue to serve an order and carry-out model.
“We want to see what other presidents are being set right now with gas stations and restaurants that have self-serve soda,” Jedi said. “Is that still going to be allowed?”
Ice Daddy’s plans to be open through the summer months until October when the weather turns.
“We’re gonna kind of play by ear right now I mean it’s all new to us and we’re excited and hopeful,” Jedi said.
Thursday and Friday, 3 to 8 p.m., Saturday, 2 to 8 p.m. and Sunday 2 to 6 p.m.
“If we do well and get a lot of business we might extend that,” Jedi said.
“We’re being conservative right now, because we’ve lost a lot of potential revenue from the events, so playing by ear and just trying to get a handle on things and how it’s going to work.”
A Mahomet native, Jedi knows that he wants to continue to give back to the community through Ice Daddy’s. This summer the truck will go to the Mahomet Area Youth Club, just as they do every year, to provide children with the summer shaved ice experience.
“We just give all the kids shaved ice at no charge because we think everyone deserves it,” Jedi said.
“We just want to keep giving back to the community all the time, and help people celebrate the special moments.”
