Original Rainbow Cone

The Original Rainbow Cone is a Chicago ice cream brand and shop business whose signature product combines five flavors in one cone or cup. The brand traces its beginnings to 1926, when founder Joe “Grandpa Joe” Sapp and his wife, Katherine, opened the first Rainbow Cone. According to the company, Joe wanted more than one flavor in a cone, and the original combination became a Chicago tradition. The classic Rainbow Cone layers Chocolate, Strawberry, Palmer House, Pistachio, and Orange Sherbet. Rather than scooping the flavors, the shop slices them into the cone or cup. The brand’s website also lists made-to-order mini donuts and ice cream cakes featuring its Rainbow Cone flavors. Ordering options promoted on the site include pickup and delivery, while its event services include truck bookings and catering. The site also lists gift cards, shipping, and franchise opportunities, but the supplied evidence does not specify the details or geographic availability of those services. The company describes itself as a locally owned family business and says it aims to preserve the founders’ traditions of togetherness, hard work, and creativity as it grows. Its identity is closely associated with Chicago; the website calls the product a Chicago tradition and refers to local shops, but the supplied evidence does not identify a precise headquarters address, current owners, or a complete list of operating markets. The homepage’s current presentation celebrates the brand’s 100-year history and continues to promote its signature five-flavor cone.

The Original Rainbow Cone traces its history to 1926, when Joe “Grandpa Joe” Sapp and his wife, Katherine, opened the first Rainbow Cone. The company’s account presents the idea as a response to Joe’s dissatisfaction with having only one flavor in a cone. The result was a five-flavor combination: Chocolate, Strawberry, Palmer House, Pistachio, and Orange Sherbet. From the outset, the flavors were sliced into the cone rather than scooped, a preparation method the brand still emphasizes. The company says that Joe’s creative combination became a Chicago staple over the following decades. Its account also identifies togetherness, hard work, and creativity as enduring parts of the founders’ tradition. The brand characterizes itself as a locally owned family business and says that, while it grows and develops new ways for people to experience Rainbow Cone, it intends to continue serving its communities in that spirit. The current website presents the brand as a Chicago institution and promotes the original cone alongside additional products and customer services. These include ice cream cakes made with Rainbow Cone flavors, made-to-order mini donuts, online ordering for pickup or delivery, event truck bookings, and catering. The site also lists locations, gift cards, shipping, and franchise opportunities; the supplied material does not establish when these offerings began, where all are available, or the scale of the company’s operations. Its homepage describes the business as celebrating 100 years, consistent with the 1926 origin date, and continues to foreground the five original flavors and the sliced-cone format.

• 1926

  First Rainbow Cone opens in Chicago

A Chicago-rooted, family-run ice cream business centered on its distinctive five-flavor cone and the tradition of slicing, rather than scooping, its flavors.

• The Original Rainbow Cone

  A cone or cup combining Chocolate, Strawberry, Palmer House, Pistachio, and Orange Sherbet, with the flavors sliced rather than scooped.

• Mini Donuts

  Mini donuts made to order.

• Ice Cream Cakes

  Cakes layered with the brand’s Rainbow Cone flavors.

1. 1The Original Rainbow Cone - Celebrating 100 Years!rainbowcone.com
2. 2Our Story - The Original Rainbow Conerainbowcone.com