News

Tropical Smoothie Cafe hits 700+ location milestone

February 5, 2019

Tropical Smoothie Cafe has hit a growth milestone with more than 700 locations. Additionally, over 60 percent of the franchise agreements have come from existing franchisees, which the brand said reflects a big vote of confidence from its partners.

Additional milestones achieved in 2018 include the appoint of Chief Development Officer Charles Watson to CEO, the signing of 191 franchise agreements and the opening of 110 cafes. The brand also celebrated its seventh consecutive year of positive same-store sales growth, according to a press release.

"Tropical Smoothie Cafe continues to outpace our industry as we hit record milestones year after year," said Watson in the release. "These accomplishments are attributed to hitting the mark on strategies focused around product innovation and guest experience, as well as the dedication and passion of our franchisees to deliver better-for-you food and smoothies to the communities we serve. This success is providing Tropical Smoothie Cafe the opportunity to double our system size in the next five years and we look forward to a bright future for the brand."

Going forward the brand expects to drive growth in several key markets, including Texas, Indiana and Georgia with plans to have over 1,500 locations operating by 2023. There are eight cafes planned for the Indianapolis market and six coming to Columbus, Ohio, in the next few years.
 
"The continued success in 2018 significantly strengthened our new cafe-opening pipeline which allows us to target another record year with 130 new cafe openings planned for 2019," said Cheryl Fletcher, senior vice president, franchise development, in the release. "As we set our sights on 2019, we are dedicated to continuing the momentum and growing with like-minded entrepreneurs. We are also committed to making a positive impact in the communities we serve nationwide by providing better-for-you food choices and promoting a healthier lifestyle."