The Ululani Hawaiian Shaved Ice franchise started in 2008 with a little shop in Hawaii. Since then it has grown into the most popular shaved ice chain in Maui and has now been opening more franchises in different parts of America such as Stockton and Round Rock Texas. Now, they’re expanding even more with the opening of another franchise this time in Livermore. Since it opened just over two months ago on November 11, Ululani’s Hawaiian Shaved Ice has already been a massive success.
The inside of the store is vibrant, with blue walls and a mix of blue and white tiles, and brightly coloured stools to sit on. There was also flower decorations everywhere, including a christmas tree decorated with flowers. This, paired with the tropical music playing created a lively, vibrant atmosphere. There was also a wall at the back with t-shirts you could buy which I wasn’t expecting, but it was a nice addition to the store.
The workers at the place were very sweet, greeting every customer that came in with an “Aloha!”, and making sure that if there wasn’t enough syrup in your shaved ice, you could always ask for more. Their kindness made the experience more enjoyable. There was surprisingly a lot of different flavours to choose from including unexpected ones such as cotton candy, sour apple, and pink lemonade. There must have beenover thirty different flavours, including a variety of toppings to pick from such as roasted coconut or ice cream. Since this was my first time at the store, I chose the popular “sunset orange” option which was a mix of the flavours passion orange, mango, and guava, but the other flavours sounded so interesting that I will definitely be coming back to try them out.
I’ll admit that when I didn’t go into the store with high expectations because I’ve never been a fan of shaved ice. My mind was changed when I tried the shaved ice at Ululuanis. Most shaved ice I’ve had is just crushed ice with a few pumps of syrup that don’t give it much flavour. So I was delightfully surprised when I saw the shaved ice I bought at Ululanis was finely shaved, making it soft, smooth and more enjoyable to eat. The syrup is made with cane sugar and there was plenty of it, making it extra sweet and the flavours tasted amazing. I’d definitely recommend this place to anyone in Livermore looking for a cold treat.
