Howard Hale, right, and his father Dwayne, owners of Tikiz Shaved Ice & Ice Cream, stand in their truck at Camp Jordan in East Ridge.

Name: Tikiz Shaved Ice & Ice Cream

Owners: Howard and Dwayne Hale

Location: Mobile truck

Opened: April 1

Service: This tropically decorated ice cream truck serves both shaved ice and prepackaged ice cream and aims to take the mobile ice cream business to the next level, explains co-owner Howard Hale. "You see all these ice cream trucks that are old and run down, with suspect people working them," he said. "We're taking it up a notch and providing something that wows you when you see it. It's nice and clean and anybody who works on the truck is approachable. No parent would hesitate to send their child up to the truck by themselves."

Prices: Between $3 and $5

Staff: 5

Initial investment: $150,000

How it got started: Howard and Dwayne Hale are the first franchisees of a Tikiz truck - the parent company operates two other trucks in Florida, but just started offering franchising rights this year. For Dwayne, it was a natural extension of 40 years in the concessions industry, and the father-son duo is keeping the business in the family: two sisters and a wife help out with event booking.

Outlook: After just a month in business, the Hales are already considering buying a second truck to keep up with demand. "It's exceeded our expectations," Howard said. "We're booking schools, summer camps, sporting events, anything outdoors - or indoors, for that matter." The end of the year goal is to be in a position to make that purchase of a second truck.

Web site: facebook.com/tikizchattanooga

Phone number: 423-762-9073