Bahama Buck’s Original Shaved Ice Company

Bahama Buck’s Original Shaved Ice Company is a specialty dessert concept built around flavored shaved ice, smoothies, and other frozen treats served from small-format retail shops across the United States. Guests visit for made-to-order shaved ice, frozen coffee, acai bowls, and a wide range of cold desserts, all presented in a casual, beach-themed setting that appeals to families and groups looking for an easy dessert stop. The company’s units are designed to capture strong warm-weather traffic and evening and weekend visits, which makes them a steady complement to neighboring food and service tenants.

The brand began in 1990, when founder Blake Buchanan opened the first Bahama Buck’s in Lubbock, Texas while he was a student at Texas Tech University. The early success of that shop led to additional locations across Texas, and by 1993 the company had started franchising to support growth beyond its original market. Over time, Bahama Buck’s built a wider presence across the Sun Belt, steadily moving from a single-college-town concept into a recognizable regional chain.

A key milestone came when the chain crossed the 100-store mark and expanded beyond Texas into states such as Arizona, California, Nevada, and Florida. That period marked a shift from a primarily Texas-focused brand to a broader Sun Belt player, with an emphasis on hot-weather, drive-to suburban trade areas where dessert traffic is naturally strong.

As of April 2024 Bahama Buck’s operates more than 120 shops systemwide under Bahama Buck’s Franchise Corporation, with locations in over a dozen states including Texas, Arizona, California, Nevada, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Florida, and a smaller but growing presence in parts of the Southeast and Mountain West. Most locations are franchised, with a limited number of company-operated units near the Lubbock headquarters and core Texas markets. In the last five years the brand has continued to add new stores while deepening its footprint in Texas and other priority states, refining its menu, and reinforcing its identity as a neighborhood dessert stop rather than a full-service restaurant.

Growth today is focused on franchising and marketing new territories across the southern United States, particularly in warm-climate, high-growth suburban markets that support frozen dessert demand. Priority growth markets include Texas, Arizona, California, Nevada, Oklahoma, and New Mexico, with ongoing development activity in states such as Florida, Arizona, and California alongside infill of established Texas trade areas. While the system has seen isolated franchise closures, including a Jacksonville Beach, Florida location involved in a legal dispute, those events have been site-specific rather than part of a broader retrenchment, and the company continues to present itself as an active, expansion-minded franchisor.

For landlords, brokers, and developers, Bahama Buck’s functions as a compact, traffic-generating dessert user that fits comfortably into pads, small endcaps, and neighborhood strip centers. Its shops do not require the same parking or kitchen infrastructure as full-service restaurants, yet they add a recognizable food and beverage name that draws impulse visits and repeat neighborhood business. The chain’s focus on growing Sun Belt suburbs, college towns, and family-oriented communities, combined with its established franchise platform and multi-state track record, makes Bahama Buck’s a useful candidate when curating small-shop lineups in retail projects across warm-weather markets.