Staffing

Smoothie King hires former Qdoba, Dunkin' VP

Provided

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.

As the director of Development for Dunkin' and Baskin-Robbins, Caric worked to develop and execute strategic market and expansion strategy plans for both brands throughout the 11-state Midwest region. Most recently, he was the VP of Franchise Development for Qdoba Mexican Eats, where he directed the 740-unit brand's strategic franchise expansion across key markets in the United States and Canada.

"My passion and energy comes from growing brands and helping franchisees to achieve their goals. And Smoothie King provides me the opportunity to do just that," Caric said in a company press release. "As a franchising professional, nothing gets you more excited than working for a purpose-driven, category leading brand with strong leadership, great unit-level economics and a solid foundation with plenty of room for growth. Smoothie King checked all of these boxes for me and I am excited to begin this journey with the brand."

Smoothie King will continue ramping up unit-level economics and system-wide growth through the introduction of consumer-facing technology, product lines and tools for franchisee success, CEO Wan Kim said in the release.

"We wouldn't be the brand we are today without the leadership and dedication of individuals like Shawn — those passionate about our growth and bringing on the right franchisees to help expand our brand and leave our mark on the $2 billion smoothie segment," he said. "Shawn is highly-skilled with decades of successful franchise experience under his belt, which makes him well-equipped for the responsibilities he is taking on. Highly regarded in his respective field, I have the utmost confidence in his ability to succeed in his new role at Smoothie King."

With 1,300 stores, Smoothie King has achieved same-store sales growth for the past nine years.