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College sweethearts Desiree Le and Terence Lioe took a risk on a $16,000 ice cream machine in 2014.
The Southern California couple, avid foodies with no restaurant experience, bought the machine after being inspired by the liquid nitrogen ice cream shops they saw while traveling in Singapore. They wanted to be in business together, so they opened Cauldron Ice Cream in May 2015 in Santa Ana, Calif.
They knew they had to up the ante to compete with the rising number liquid nitrogen ice cream shops popping up in the region. So in July, they introduced OG Puffle Cone, an egg-based waffle with puffy dimples that resemble bubble wrap.
It was the perfect photogenic sidekick to their artisanal ice cream flavors, Le said. Another Instagram trick: Rose-shaped scoops are an option, in addition to regular scoops.
“We wanted to create a vessel that could hold our ice cream that was very picture worthy,” Le said.
A Cosmopolitan write-up followed, triggering crowds.
“The wait was two hours long,” said the 30-year-old Le. “That day was crazy.”
With Instagram putting the brand before a global audience, Le said demand for Cauldron stores began pouring in. The couple, who married last year, opened two more corporate stores in Southern California and began franchising in 2017. By mid-February 2019, Cauldron had nine stores open including its first international location in Toronto. Four more shops are scheduled to open in March, including the chain’s first location in Texas.
Contact Nancy Luna at [email protected]
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