Smoothie King Franchises, Inc., the premier smoothie and nutritional lifestyle center, announced at their recent annual national franchisee conference, that it has named Roger and Stephanie Wilder of Denham Springs, La. “Franchisee of the Year.” The Wilders were selected for excellence in store operations, customer service and community dedication, as well as their strong passion to help guests lead healthier lifestyles. The couple has garnered the title seven of the past eight years.
“We’re proud to honor and extend our heartfelt congratulations to the Wilders on this well-deserved recognition,” said Smoothie King Global CEO Wan Kim. “Over the years, these franchisees continue to demonstrate that strong leadership combined with Smoothie King’s proven business model can yield outstanding results. We are very fortunate to have them as our partners and look forward to witnessing their future achievements.”
At the age of 18, Roger Wilder got his start as a team member serving guests from behind the counter. Over the years, he worked his way up from store-level to corporate management where he worked closely with the brand’s founders to learn their vision. Today, the Wilders currently own and operate 10 locations in the Baton Rouge, La. market and have an additional location scheduled to open next year in Watson, La.
“Since opening our first store in 2001, our focus has always been to help guests lead healthier lifestyles,” said Wilder. “Our success can be attributed to our exceptional team — our company’s greatest investment — who has shown their commitment through providing excellent service and creating a positive work environment, which ultimately has translated into an amazing guest experience. This award would not have been possible without their support.”
Smoothie King plans to add 1,000 new franchised and corporate locations domestically over the next five years. Even with more than 500 locations in the U.S., the brand still has extensive smoothie franchise opportunities available in the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions, as well as Texas. Smoothie King also continues to expand internationally through both master franchise and corporate stores in South Korea, Singapore and the Cayman Islands, and is focusing on identifying partners in several key countries in Asia and the Middle East.
New franchisees can still take advantage of Smoothie King’s incentive program and receive 40 percent off the franchise fee, a savings of $10,000, until the first 40 agreements of 2013 have been signed. Interested entrepreneurs should possess a passion for the brand and be dedicated to serving the community. While restaurant experience is not required, the ideal candidate for the smoothie franchise should have an entrepreneurial spirit, as well as sales, marketing, restaurant and/or retail experience.
To learn more about the benefits of owning a Smoothie King, or for more information and to register for a Discovery Day, please visit www.smoothiekingfranchise.com or contact Natalie Johnson at (985) 635- 6973, ext. 115.
Smoothie King Franchises, Inc. is a privately held; New Orleans-area-based franchise company and the premier Smoothie Bar and Nutritional Lifestyle Center in the industry. Smoothie King offers guests the original nutritional fresh-blended smoothie and healthy retail products, including sports beverages, energy bars, healthy snacks, vitamin supplements, herbs, minerals and other sports nutrition products. Smoothie King opened its first store in 1973 and started as the first franchised smoothie bar/health food store in the United States in 1989. Smoothie King currently has more than 600 units operating in 32 states, the Caymans, Singapore and the Republic of Korea. In 2013, Smoothie King® was ranked no. 1 by Entrepreneur magazine in the juice bar category for the 19th year and no. 104 overall on the 2013 Franchise 500 list. Visit www.smoothieking.com; engage on Facebook www.facebook.com/SmoothieKing; follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/smoothieking.
