Pros
I made money. It was nice to be able to listen to music when I drove the shaved ice trucks and worked mostly alone. The managers are really nice and supportive about my schedule and also understanding regarding my health issues. If you do not wanna work certain days or hours, you can tell them. If you are a student or have another job they work with you as well. You get free shaved ice, Mandatory meetings are paid. They are probably about 3-5 times per year and last about 2 hours. Sometimes you get to an event early and get to wait there for maybe even an hour, sometimes less. Free time is common on less busy days. It is good that I got paid hourly. At non-school events, you could get tips. There are opportunities for cross-training with Tom's coffee truck and Beverly Ann's cookie truck as well. They have a snack room for the drivers stocked with snacks and even Gatorade. At one point I know they had contests for the employees where they could compete for extra cash. You can be a server at 14 years old, (but not a driver.) You can start driving at 18.
Cons
You may or may not get enough hours. Events can be canceled, and when they are, then the shift is lost. There is some lack of hygiene. There were often times when I had to reach for spoons for the Konas, after handling cash, and I would have to touch the part of the spoon that the person would put in their mouth. There needs to be a better hygiene system. One time I was restocking the truck after I got back to the warehouse and I picked up a box of spoons from the warehouse that had a bunch of dirt/grey stuff on it. The tempering well(where the ice is held that is ready to be served) is often refilled with ice after each shift, even if it has not been completely emptied. This bothers me because mildew starts to collect after a while since the bottom layer is not completely emptied. It keeps on getting filled up again. There was one day I smelled the ice and it smelled mildewy. This is concerning. There is no such thing as clocking in and out for a meal at Kona. Breaks are taken as needed, (Usually can only take a break when it is not busy.) Sometimes you may be eating lunch or a snack and then have to serve someone if they are there. No access to drinking water in the truck other than ice. Make sure to pack a lot of water. The schedule is unpredictable due to the company being event-based, and hours can be anytime during the 24 hours of the day(they even have had people work at events at factories early in the morning.)(Although the latest I left the warehouse to end my shift was 9:30-9:45 ish.) If you like a normal schedule with the same amount of hours, clock in/clock out, then this is not for you. A Food Handler's Certification is required. Not a con for me but may be for someone else. Costs $15 online.