A sato Family Shop (1306 Pali Hwy.), known for its local-kine sherbet with flavors inspired by nostalgic snacks from crack seed stores and other mom-and-pop shops, recently launched its orange-and-white “scoop truck.” For those who can’t make it to the downtown Honolulu shop during its operating hours on Sundays and Wednesdays, it’s a glorious way to start off 2023.

“We’ve had the truck for over a year, but we were just doing pop-ups,” says Neale Asato, creative director and business co-owner. “This year, we are going to try focus on doing the truck almost every day.

“It’s our scoop truck because that’s the only place we are going to have scoops; we don’t do scoops at the shop,” he adds.

At the time of our interview, Asato Family Shop is still finalizing locations for the truck, but potential spots include Waikiki, Kapahulu and right outside the shop’s storefront on Wednesdays.

“We’re trying to put together a regular schedule,” Asato says. “We’ll run the truck Tuesdays-Fridays. We’ll set up the truck’s route for the week at the beginning of the week.”

The scoop truck will always include the classic three sherbet flavors — pineapple, strawberry and green river — along with a seasonal flavor and at least one nondairy option. Current flavors include mango orange bang, passion orange guava, li hing float, yuzu sorbet (nondairy) and li hing lemon (nondairy). All scoops are $5, and customers can add li hing sauce for an extra $1.

You can also find red/white li hing mui ($3.50), assorted gummy candies ($5), and the business’s signature li hing mui and lemon peel sauces ($8 each).

“We’ve had the snacks, but this is the first time we’re going to sell the li hing mui,” Asato says.

While the scoop truck is just getting started, Asato already has big plans for it.

“I want to do a manapua thing and create the modern manapua truck,” he says. “Once we have a consistent schedule and spot, I want to launch that and have a lunch spot with manapua, snacks and scoops.”

Asato Family Shop scoop truck

Various locations
Web: asatofamilyshop.com
Instagram: @asatofamily
How to order: In person only
How to pay: Cash or credit cards accepted