Leading Fast Casual Cafe Signs Development Agreements to Open First Cafes in California
Tropical Smoothie Café, the leading fast casual café concept known for its better-for-you food and smoothies with a tropical twist, announced the signing of 83 franchise agreements during the third quarter of 2015 as the brand continues its aggressive, nationwide expansion. To date, Tropical Smoothie Café has signed more than 160 development agreements. Additionally, the food and smoothie franchise reported it will open its first café in California in early 2016. Tropical Smoothie Café’s year-to-date same-store sales continue to eclipse 11 percent, well above the industry norm, and the company is currently celebrating 15 consecutive months of double-digit comp sale growth.
“I’m extremely proud of where we are today. Tropical Smoothie Café is on pace to not only meet, but also exceed the big goals we set for ourselves at the beginning of the year,” said Mike Rotondo, CEO of Tropical Smoothie Café. “Our exceptional product, passionate franchisees and dedicated corporate staff are the driving force behind our success. And the success we are seeing is phenomenal, including strong same-store sales that far outperform our competitors in the smoothie and fast-casual industries. All of this is contributing to our franchise growth as more small business owners want to be part of Tropical Smoothie Café’s success.”
Tropical Smoothie Café currently has nearly 200 cafés under development and slated to open in the next two years. In 2015, the brand has opened 45 locations and is on pace to open 70 locations in cities like Forth Worth, Texas, Little Rock, Ark., Davenport, Fla., York, Pa., and Franklin, Tenn., among others. The company’s goal to expand west will come to fruition within the next six months thanks to new franchisee RanaKaran “R.K.” Sidhu. Sidhu has recently become a franchise owner with Tropical Smoothie Café with agreements to open 20 Tropical Smoothie Café’s in the state, specifically 10 locations in Orange County and 10 locations in the Greater San Diego area.
“With Tropical Smoothie Cafe’s amazing menu of food choices and smoothies, their constant need to innovate new limited time offers, their new open kitchen prototype, a development & marketing support staff that was always available, and personally meeting with CEO Mike Rotondo, who is full of bold fresh ideas, and honestly very inspiring, we knew it was the only way to go,” said Sidhu. “There was no one in Southern California offering a food and smoothie menu anywhere close to the variety, quality and price of Tropical Smoothie Cafe’s. Healthy shouldn’t be just for the wealthy, it should be for everyone who enjoys delicious food and wants to lead a better quality of life. Tropical Smoothie Cafe has always been a brand full of fresh new ideas, and California has always been a center for innovation and development, so bringing the two together seems so natural. We’re now focused on bringing delicious smoothies and food to the Orange and San Diego county communities beginning early next year.”
This year, the food and smoothie franchise plans to exceed 475 stores nationwide. The brand currently has franchise opportunities across the U.S. in markets such as Houston, Dallas and San Antonio, Texas, as well as Los Angeles and San Francisco, Calif., among others. By 2018, Tropical Smoothie Café plans to have 800 stores open across the U.S.
Tropical Smoothie Café is looking to add qualified franchisees to its growing brand. Candidates should have business experience; $100,000 in liquid assets and a minimum net worth of $300,000; and an initial investment of between $165,940 and $414,685. The healthy fast food franchise currently boasts an average unit volume (AUV) of more than $578,000 — the highest in the company’s 18-year history — with the top 50 percent reporting an AUV of $734,000.
For more information about opening your own Tropical Smoothie Café franchise, please visit www.tropicalsmoothiefranchise.com.
Founded in 1997, Tropical Smoothie Café is a fast-casual restaurant concept inspiring healthy lifestyles across the country, with over 445 locations nationwide. With snack and meal options for any time of day, Tropical Smoothie Café serves smoothies, salads, tacos, wraps, sandwiches, and flatbreads. The rapidly growing franchise has received numerous accolades including being ranked on Entrepreneur‘s 2015 Franchise 500, 2015 Fast Casual Top 100 Movers and Shakers and Nation’s Restaurant News‘ 2015 Top 200. Tropical Smoothie Café is seeking qualified franchisees to expand throughout the United States in markets such as Atlanta, Houston, Dallas, Charlotte, Philadelphia and Columbus, Ohio, among others.
