A Chicago-based brand offering colorful frozen treats will soon make a Johnson County debut.
Ice cream shop The Original Rainbow Cone announced its intent earlier this week to open somewhere in Overland Park as well as a second location in the Kansas City metro area.
Rainbow Cone is eyeing Overland Park
Though a specific location for its first store hasn’t been nailed down yet, a release from the company named Overland Park as a potential spot for one.
Across the state line, the company also is looking to open a store in Lee’s Summit, Missouri.
Rainbow Cone serves colorful frozen sweet treats
The ice cream shop is known primarily for its stacked “rainbow” ice cream cones — a cone with “slices” of orange sherbet, pistachio, “Palmer House” (vanilla with cherries and walnuts), strawberry and chocolate ice cream flavors.
“For people who haven’t tried it before, it’s a must-try thing,” said Johnny Buonavolanto, director of sales with the brand. “It’s very colorful, very culinary-driven. There’s nothing really simple about it.”
In addition to the rainbow cone, customers can also choose from the store’s other flavors (either stacked with multiple flavors or on their own), such as mint chocolate chip, butter pecan or birthday cake.
Rainbow Cone also serves other sweets like sundaes, shakes, ice cream sandwiches and doughnuts.
Rainbow Cone is nearly a century old
The company got its start in Chicago in 1926, founded by husband-and-wife duo Joe and Katherine Sapp.
The Sapp family partnered with the Buonavolanto family in 2019 to expand the brand to communities outside its home city.
Today, Rainbow Cone has roughly 20 storefronts in its home state of Illinois.
“In Chicago, it’s almost like an institution,” Buonavolanto said. “It’s a very special thing around here in Chicago.”
The company also has locations in several other states, including California, Florida and Wisconsin.
“Kansas City does have a reputation for celebrating bold and flavorful food,” Buonavolanto said. “We just think that we’ll fit right into that scene and that culture.”
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