---
title: "Why Handel's is the 1 Ice Cream Business in America"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/d3793bcf-1f0a-4154-82d6-7f5c528bcb83
source: "Empires Weekly"
original_url: https://empirespod.substack.com/p/why-handels-is-the-1-ice-cream-business
author: "Patrick Buckley"
category: "Snacks & dessert"
industry: "Restaurants"
segment: "Snacks & dessert"
published: 2026-07-10T12:08:25.000Z
modified: 2026-08-13T06:31:12.698Z
image: https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!AI45!,w_1200,h_600,c_fill,f_jpg,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep,g_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-video.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fvideo_upload%2Fpost%2F206434835%2Fed04aec9-38ce-4b22-a097-10c3d3494575%2Ftranscoded-1783685198.png
---

# Why Handel's is the 1 Ice Cream Business in America

**TL;DR:** Andrea Huerta, a multi-unit operator, discusses her transition from McDonald's and El Pollo Loco to Handel's Homemade Ice Cream, which is considered the top ice cream business in America on a per-unit basis. Huerta shares insights into Handel's economic performance and its strong potential in the market.

*By Patrick Buckley, originally published in Empires Weekly on 2026-07-10. [Read the original](https://empirespod.substack.com/p/why-handels-is-the-1-ice-cream-business).*

## Story

Andrea Huerta has been operating franchises since she was a teenager, starting as a crew member in her parents' McDonald’s location. This early experience provided a strong foundation in the quick-service restaurant industry.

After helping her family expand a portfolio of El Pollo Loco locations, Andrea made a significant decision. She chose to fully commit to Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream, seeing its strong potential in the market.

Handel’s is widely considered to be the top ice cream business in America on a per-unit basis, demonstrating remarkable efficiency and profitability. Andrea shares comprehensive insights into this concept, including detailed information about its current economic performance.

## Entities

- QSR (sector)
- franchise expansion (topic)
- McDonald's (company)
- quick service restaurant (topic)
- El Pollo Loco (company)
- multi-unit operator (topic)
- unit economics (topic)
- Handel's Homemade Ice Cream (company)
- Empires Weekly (publication)
- Patrick Buckley (person)
- Andrea Huerta (person)
- ice cream business (topic)

---
Originally reported by Patrick Buckley, Empires Weekly (https://empirespod.substack.com/p/why-handels-is-the-1-ice-cream-business). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/d3793bcf-1f0a-4154-82d6-7f5c528bcb83).