---
title: "Celebrating a Century of Smiles: The Original Rainbow Cone Counts Down to Its 100th Anniversary"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/5bc519c2-bd9a-4f97-b25e-e3c37e0cff38
source: "Franchising.com"
original_url: https://www.franchising.com/news/20250116_celebrating_a_century_of_smiles_the_original_rainbow_cone_counts_down_to_it.html
category: "Restaurants"
industry: "Restaurants"
published: 2025-01-16T12:00:00.000Z
modified: 2026-10-31T18:18:55.322Z
image: https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1504674900247-0877df9cc836?w=1600&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop
---

# Celebrating a Century of Smiles: The Original Rainbow Cone Counts Down to Its 100th Anniversary

**TL;DR:** The Original Rainbow Cone is celebrating its 100th anniversary with a social media contest and plans to expand nationwide. The brand is partnering with The Buona Companies to lead its expansion efforts.

*originally published in Franchising.com on 2025-01-16. [Read the original](https://www.franchising.com/news/20250116_celebrating_a_century_of_smiles_the_original_rainbow_cone_counts_down_to_it.html).*

## Story

The Original Rainbow Cone (Rainbow Cone) is inviting its guests to join them in the countdown to its centennial celebration!

Starting in January, and running through June 2026, the brand will host a social media contest, inviting fans to share their Rainbow Cone memories – new and old. Each month, one winner will be chosen to receive free Rainbow Cones for a year.

“I wish my grandfather could see that Rainbow Cone is still bringing slices of happiness to thousands of ice cream lovers,” said Lynn Sapp, granddaughter of founders ‘Grandpa Joe’ and Katherine Sapp. “I grew up slicing (not scooping) our famous five flavors to create our one-of-a-kind cone. It brings me great joy to see the tens of thousands of people that we’ve been able to bring joy to through this business. It feels right to celebrate this happy milestone with them in a big way too.”

“We’re honored to have partnered with a brand that holds a special place in the hearts of so many Chicagoans,” said Joe Buonavolanto III, Executive Vice President of The Buona Companies – the family-owned company that’s leading Rainbow Cone’s expansion. “As we near the brand’s 100th anniversary, we’re not just celebrating locally—we’re making it our mission to spread joy nationwide and will keep the festivities going all the way through June of 2026.”

## Entities

- Franchising.com (publication)
- QSR (sector)
- expansion plans (topic)
- anniversary celebration (topic)
- social media contest (topic)
- nationwide growth (topic)
- Joe Buonavolanto III (person)
- The Buona Companies (company)
- The Original Rainbow Cone (company)
- Lynn Sapp (person)
- Katherine Sapp (person)
- Grandpa Joe (person)

---
Originally reported by Franchising.com (https://www.franchising.com/news/20250116_celebrating_a_century_of_smiles_the_original_rainbow_cone_counts_down_to_it.html). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/5bc519c2-bd9a-4f97-b25e-e3c37e0cff38).