Family-owned Buona Cos., the business behind the Buona beef brand and ice cream brand The Original Rainbow Cone, is celebrating a strong start to 2025, fueled by the company's regional product offerings from co-branded Buona and Rainbow Cone locations; regional beef and dessert products from the company are reaching new markets across the country.

As part of a nationwide expansion, the company added four new locations to its footprint in Gurnee, Ill., Crown Point, Ind., Cypress, Calif., and Orlando, Fla., with additional units in development in Tennessee, Missouri and Florida. High-growth metro areas in the Midwest, such as Columbus, Detroit, Indianapolis and St. Louis, are targets for future development. 

"Our flexible formats include free-standing drive-thru, in-line locations, and dual-branded 'Express' shops featuring Chicago's most iconic sandwich and one of the city's oldest ice cream traditions," said Joe Buonavolanto, executive vice president of Buona Cos. "What's more, we're creating incomparable opportunities that allow operators to be the first to introduce guests to a Chicago institution that still prepares Italian beef the way it was meant to be—slow-roasted using the same family method since day one."

Additionally, Buona's loyalty program with over 300,000 members has yielded strong returns, with participation increasing by more than 34%, daily loyalty sales by more than 19% and new sign-ups by more than 100%.

Source: Buona Cos.