SAN ANTONIO – Popular snowball truck on Broadway is getting back on its feet after a break-in left the business trashed and without key equipment.
Charm City Snoballs, located at 3710 Broadway, right next to the Smoke Shack BBQ and across from the Witte Museum opened in 2020, and is a seasonal business.
Jason Benson, owner of Charm City Snoballs, said he showed up Tuesday morning to get the truck ready to open this weekend for the summer and immediately knew something was wrong.
“The door, like the handle, was kind of like that and it was popped right here,” Benson said.
Inside, he said the damage was overwhelming.
“Everything was gone,” Benson said. “The place was trashed. I mean, the freezer was opened up. They stole ice and ice cream. I hope it melted before they got home.”
Benson estimates the break-in cost the business between $12,000 and $15,000, including a machine that retails for about $3,000.
“My stomach was up here and I kind of wanted to cry,” Benson said.
After Benson posted about the break-in online, help came quickly from Cameron Davies, CEO of Cruising Kitchens, a San Antonio-based food truck manufacturer.
“Cameron reached out and he was like, ‘Hey, what do you need?’” Benson said. “He’s like, ‘Well, we’ll get it done.’”
Davies said seeing the post hit him hard.
“It hurt the heart, not gonna lie,” Davies said. “Jason and Jenny are really close. They do a great job.”
Davies said helping the business was personal.
“Family is everything,” Davies said. “I consider them family. They do a great job. They do a lot for the city of San Antonio and give a lot back. And so it’s the least we could do.”
Benson said one of his biggest concerns was being able to reopen for the high school students who depend on the business for summer jobs.
Thanks to Davies’ help, Benson said those opportunities will still be there.
“It means a lot to us, but we kind of realized that it really does mean a lot to the Alamo Heights community too,” Benson said.
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