20 years later: Pumpkin spice still rules

by Cherryh Cansler — Publisher, FastCasual.com

Although it's too early to tell if all-things pumpkin will increase traffic this year, it's a likely outcome based on the past 20 years. Most chains have…

Smoothie King expanding in Dallas

August 7, 2023

Smoothie King has signed a multi-unit development agreement to bring 15 locations to Dallas-Fort Worth.

Smoothie King, Marco's franchisee adds Salata to portfolio

June 27, 2023

Houston-based Salata is closing in on 100 locations via a three-unit agreement with Phillip Jones, who also owns multiple Smoothie King and Marco's Pizza…

Former Starbucks, Jack in the Box executive joins Smoothie King as COO

May 25, 2023

Smoothie King has hired Camille Hymes as chief operating officer to help lead it through the next phase of national growth.

Smoothie King taps ChatGPT to write steamy summer novel

May 23, 2023

To celebrate the return of its X-Treme Watermelon smoothie, and the launch of its Watermelon Lemonade smoothie, Smoothie King commissioned ChatGPT to write a…

Playa Bowls names former Smoothie King president as CEO

April 11, 2023

Playa Bowls has hired former Smoothie King president and COO Dan Harmon as CEO, replacing co-founder Rob Giuliani, who will remain as the brand's chief…

Smoothie King adds 6 bowls to menu

April 4, 2023

Smoothie King is adding six smoothie bowls to the menus at its over 1,100 locations nationwide. The launch also debuts Smoothie King's red spoon, complementing…

Women in the Lead 2023: Honoring 21 of fast casual's top female leaders

by Cherryh Cansler — Publisher, FastCasual.com

In honor of International Women's Day, FastCasual interviewed 21 female executives leading the industry.

Smoothie King opening over 100 stores in 2023

February 1, 2023

Smoothie King signed franchise and area development agreements in 2022 to add over 160 stores, with over half of them with existing franchisees who helped…

Smoothie King bringing 15 locations to Cleveland

December 6, 2022

Dallas-based Smoothie King, which has over 1,400 global locations, is opening 15 stores in Cleveland.

Smoothie King hires CMO, CPO, CIO

November 30, 2022

Smoothie King has added three executives to its leadership team — Chief Marketing Officer Marianne Radley, Chief Information Officer Juan Salas and Chief…

Pumpkin LTOs still boosting traffic

by Cherryh Cansler — Publisher, FastCasual.com

Although Thursday marked the first official day of fall, restaurants around the world didn't wait to launch their pumpkin-flavored LTOs with good reason.

Former TGi Friday's exec leading development at Smoothie King

July 13, 2022

Smoothie King has hired Chris Bremer as chief development officer.

Smoothie King reaches record AUV

May 12, 2022

Smoothie King, a smoothie chain and health and fitness QSR brand, has reached a record average unit volume of $609,753, with the brand's top 25 percent of…

Smoothie King offering subscription service

April 14, 2022

Smoothie King is joining brands like Panera Bread and Taco Bell by offering a subscription model.

Smoothie King throws down weight loss challenge

April 5, 2022

Smoothie King has created a 60-day weight loss challenge featuring its line of smoothies to help customers achieve unique weight management goals, including…

Smoothie King hires former Qdoba, Dunkin' VP

January 25, 2022

Smoothie King has hired industry veteran Shawn Caric as VP of Franchise Development to help it meet its goal of signing 200 store commitments in 2022.

Smoothie King sales surge in Q4

January 10, 2022

Despite a turbulent time for the restaurant industry, Smoothie King, which has 1,300 global locations, reported a 16.5% sales increase year-over-year…

Smoothie King launching line of merch

November 17, 2021

Smoothie King has launched its first line of brand merchandise at gear.smoothieking.com, according to a company press release.

7 ways Smoothie King president prevents labor shortages

Dan Harmon, who has been president and COO of Smoothie King since 2017, reveals the seven ways he and his team retain employees.