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Thursday, Mar 28, 2024

Briefing

Winter can be a downer for Jerry Gonzalez, president of Valencia-based Tropical Ice Inc., a company geared to the tourist crowd and beach weather. Gonzalez’s 3-year-old business sells shaved ice for $3 a pop from carts at Southern California tourist spots such as Universal Studios, Six Flags Magic Mountain and the Santa Monica Pier. Gonzalez spoke to reporter Jennifer Netherby about the challenges of running a weather-sensitive business, even in sunny Southern California. “During the peak season, we’re out there every single day, oftentimes until midnight or 1 a.m. In the winter, we just work weekends. We’re very weather-driven, and when it’s hot out, business goes crazy. When it’s cold, we just die. “Last summer was colder than usual 1999 was not snowcone weather. The ideal temperature is in the 70s, and the hotter it gets, the better business is. It just becomes more of an impulse item. “Typically, the season runs from spring break until Labor Day. We go full time through November at Universal CityWalk. At Magic Mountain’s Hurricane Harbor, our season lasts 90 days. But we go through 90 pounds of ice a day. “Our competition is ice cream, frozen lemonade and other refreshment-type items. It’s always a matter of personal choice for the customer, but there are things you can do to bring people to your product. There’s your display, and also, we try to be the best in our category. “The location we get is mutually agreed upon (by our company and the park). I prefer to be in the shade. All spots are different, based on the dynamics of the location and the park. At CityWalk, it doesn’t matter there’s no bad location because there’s 8 to 10 million people that eventually pass you. The same with Six Flags. I look for a location that has high traffic. “Rent is the largest expense. It’s surprising how expensive a 15-square-foot space can be. Staffing is probably the most challenging thing for us. We go from three to four employees in the winter up to 22 in the summer, and this year we anticipate 25. And 16-year-olds are a valuable commodity in the summer. All of our employees are paid hourly, and depending on the location, some are allowed bonuses. It just depends on the revenue-sharing agreement we have (with the park).”

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