History
Marble Slab, which began as a single unit operation called Cones & Cream, was founded in Houston by chefs Penn and LaPage in 1983. They were inspired by Steve Herrel of Herrell’s Ice Cream in Boston, who pioneered the mixin approach to ice cream toppings. In 1986, Marble Slab became the first ice cream treatery to use a frozen granite slab to blend mix-in toppings into the ice cream. Later that year, Marble Slab was bought by Ronnie Hankamer of Texas, who laid the groundwork for the brand's franchising concept.
In the past few years, Marble Slab has expanded beyond its southeastern presence and has become a fast-growing franchise. In 2007 it was ranked in Entrepreneur Magazine's Franchise 500 (#93), Fastest-Growing Franchises (#72), and America's Top Global Franchises (#75).
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