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Tropical Smoothie launching 23 units in Atlanta

Tropical Smoothie Café has signed franchise agreements to open 23 locations in the Atlanta market over the next five years.

January 25, 2016

Tropical Smoothie Café has signed franchise agreements to open 23 locations in the Atlanta market over the next five years, according to a company press release.

The brand is targeting North Atlanta, Marietta, and Cobb and Cherokee counties to open the new cafés. Tropical Smoothie Café currently has five locations in the area, including a restaurant that opened Jan. 12, in Suwanee at 3320 Lawrenceville-Suwanee Road, Suite 1-A.

The Suwanee café is owned by franchisee Mike Haines, who will open another location in March at 869 North Main St., Suite 204, in Alpharetta.

Haines worked in sales for 15 years at Microsoft and Facebook before leaving corporate America to become a franchise owner with Tropical Smoothie Café. He signed a development agreement in 2015, to open 10 cafés in North Atlanta.

Tropical Smoothie Café also signed a franchise agreement with Meritage Restaurant Group, a family-owned company lead by husband-and-wife team Deborah and Chris Pike, along with their daughter, Meghan Cook, and son, Taylor Pike. Prior to joining Tropical Smoothie Café, Deborah Pike was CMO at Arby's and CEO of Atlanta-based restaurant consulting firm New Eyes. The family will open 10 cafés in Cobb and Cherokee counties over the next five years.

This year, the chain plans to exceed 550 restaurants nationwide and has franchise opportunities across the U.S. in markets including Miami, Philadelphia, Boston, Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth, Atlanta, Columbus and Charlotte, among others, according to the release.

By 2018, Tropical Smoothie Café plans to have 800 stores open across the U.S.