At King Kone, a long-standing ice cream shop in Somers, the new and the old melt into one.
Staff scrawl orders in pencil on paper and count change while World Cup matches play on tucked away smartphones.
Ice cream specials pop up weekly on the shop’s social media accounts while co-owner Brian Hopkins still texts using a flip phone from another decade.
This time capsule to peak Americana, nestled on the curb of one of Westchester County’s busiest intersections, has survived — and thrived — in the modern age thanks to an ever-expanding menu, ever-growing customer base and a hefty scoop of effort from its current owners.
King Kone celebrates 25th anniversary
This year marks the 25th anniversary of Brian and Deb Hopkins’ stewardship of the seasonal Somers staple, which has been dishing out cones since 1953. The independently-run shop, constructed from a pre-fabricated kit, has cycled through three or four owners during its lifetime, said Brian.
The Hopkins’ had their eye on the shop at the cusp of the Millennium, and jumped to buy it in 2001 when the former owner lowered his asking price.
At the time, King Kone wasn’t the go-to summer spot it is today. However, its peeling paint and rickety innards did not deter the Hopkins family, who funneled $65,000 into fixing it up.
Over the years, they have expanded the shop with a new gazebo, added two service windows to accommodate more customers (they welcome at least 60 new ones a day), and grown the menu tenfold.
‘We don’t cheap out’
Through all the change, the classic soft serve — available in vanilla, chocolate or a swirl of both — remains the store’s crème de la crème. They burn through about four sizable batches of vanilla, a crowd favorite, every day.
“We have the Cadillac of soft serve machines,” said 67-year-old Brian Hopkins. “We don’t cheap out.”
The store also offers around 60 flavors of hard ice cream, including a dairy-free flavor that changes weekly (last week’s was strawberry frappuccino). A small cone costs $5.50 — the establishment does not accept credit or debit cards; just cash, Venmo and Zelle.
The savory menu is just as extensive. King Kone serves all the American snack shack classics and more, including burgers, hot dogs, and Mexican street corn. However, their $25 lobster roll — $29 with fries and slaw — has been crowned the most popular savory bite.
Each and every recipe was cooked up by co-owner Deb Hopkins.
“She just knows food,” said 28-year-old Madison Tobias, King Kone’s manager.
But the food and scoops are not the only reasons behind the shack’s snaking queues and perpetually full parking lot.
‘A big family vibe’
The shack’s mulch yard, set with rows of picnic tables topped with bright umbrellas, has become somewhat of a community gathering spot. It’s been the setting for graduation celebrations, “promposals,” and long-standing summer traditions.
“It’s a big family vibe,” said Tobias. “I think that’s the only thing that’s important.”
Some customers don’t let a week go by without visiting the shack. Sitting at one of the picnic tables, Tobias smiled as she listed just a few of the shack’s standout regulars.
She said Josh, now 7, has been devouring King Kone clams since he was 4. Meanwhile, Carol always gets a medium cup of mint-chip and cappuccino crunch — except for when she gets the mango sorbet.
David, a loyal patron of the medium twist, loves King Kone so much his job made him his very own King Kone shirt. Kenny, a Vietnam War veteran forever clad in a bucket hat, always gets a BLT to go — mayo on the side — for lunch.
Tobias said she’s watched local kids grow up in King Kone’s yard. In fact, most of the shack’s staff spent their childhood summers visiting the shop.
Connor Meyers, a 20-year-old Somers native, has worked at King Kone for six years. The majority of staff, mostly high school and college students, work the shack for at least five years before they move on, said Brian.
“It doesn’t feel like a job,” said Meyers, scrolling on his phone to find a photo of his grinning 10-year-old self clutching a chocolate cone at a King Kone picnic table. “I love the people, I love Madison, I love everyone.”
King Kone’s secret to success
Being a seasonal spot (only open between mid-April and Halloween) welcomes its own challenges, however King Kone’s secret sauce — a blend of its roadside location, work ethic and consistency — has kept business growing with each coming summer.
“I learned over the years that the closer you are to the road, the more you will survive,” said Brian Hopkins. “And ice cream stands that carry food last 10 times longer than ice cream stands that just do ice cream.”
He added customers “never get bad food,” and they’ll certainly “never get a flat soda.” He should know — he is at the shack every day, from 8 in the morning to about 11 at night.
“I’m hands on, I’m here every day, and we just never run out of anything,” he said. “We’re very consistent.”
When the shop shutters in the cold months, he spends his time carving up deer for hunters, delivering packages for UPS and plowing snow for the town of Somers.
“I like to keep active,” Hopkins said. “I’m not a gym guy.”
The shop has also turned to social media in recent years to keep customers lining up down the block. Posts featuring rave reviews from local influencers and special cones — including one speckled with orange and blue sprinkles for the Knicks championship run — dot the shack’s Instagram and Facebook feeds.
Ensuring their cones keep up with the trends, whether it be the World Cup or the Dubai chocolate craze, has played a big role in attracting new clientele, said Tobias.
The shack has been visited by a number of celebrities, including Ben Stiller, Brendan Fraser, Blake Lively, and Ryan Reynolds. Mitchell Robinson, a former Knicks player, even stopped by for a scoop in the days after winning the NBA championship.
Thanks to its circa 1950s décor, it was also featured in a 2025 ad for a new line of Chevrolet cars.
As trends, customers and the occasional celeb come and go, Brian hopes the shop remains a gathering spot where people can slow down, enjoy food and talk without screens or distractions.
If you go
Address: 109 NY-100, Somers, 914-232-0571
Hours: Noon to 10 p.m. daily (seasonally from mid-April through October).
Good to know: Cash, Zelle or Venmo only; no credit cards.
Fun fact: The shop was bought as a pre-made kit in 1950 and has since cycled through approximately four different owners. It is under different ownership as the King Kone in Pearl River.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Why Westchester’s King Kone remains a beloved summer staple
Reporting by Leia Green, Rockland/Westchester Journal News / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Leia Green, Rockland/Westchester Journal News | USA TODAY Network
