Tropical Smoothie Cafe
Encyclopedia
Franchising
Franchising is the practice of using another firm's successful business model. The word 'franchise' is of anglo-French derivation - from franc- meaning free, and is used both as a noun and as a verb....
in the U.S.A. and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. In addition to smoothies the company is a full Cafe that offers sandwiches
Sandwiches
"Sandwiches" is a song by American electronic band Detroit Grand Pubahs. It reached number 29 in the Hot Dance Club Songs chart.- Track listing :...
, wraps, salads, and introduced flat breads to their food line in 2009.
History
Tropical Smoothie began as a smoothie shop in 1993. Tropical Smoothie Franchise Development Corporation was founded in 1997 in Destin, FloridaDestin, Florida
Destin is a city located in Okaloosa County, Florida. It is a principal city of the Fort Walton Beach-Crestview-Destin, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.Located on Florida's Emerald Coast, Destin is known for its white beaches and emerald green waters...
. The first franchised store opened in 1997 in Tallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee is the capital of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County, and is the 128th largest city in the United States. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2010, the population recorded by...
.
In 1999 they created a niche in the smoothie category by introducing a line of high quality food items. A year later they teamed up with the well known Boar's Head brand to be the exclusive smoothie cafe chain to offer their meat, cheese, and soups to their customers. After growth there was a need to enhance the total customer experience. They redesigned their store's decor to offer an upscale tropical theme with bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
walls, palm trees, bright colors, and original Bob Stedman artwork creations.
The franchise celebrated its 10th year anniversary in 2007 and is opening a new store at a pace of every 6–7 days.
Eric & Delora Jenrich and David Walker, came from franchise backgrounds and used their knowledge to grow Tropical Smoothie Cafe. As they have grown they have recruited others from the food industry including the hiring of their President and chief operating officer, Jim Valentino in 2006 who was the former vice president of operations with Cold Stone Creamery
Cold Stone Creamery
Cold Stone Creamery is an American-based ice cream parlor chain. The company, based in Scottsdale, Arizona, is owned and operated by Kahala Franchising, L.L.C. The company's main product is premium ice cream, or ice cream made with approximately 12-14% butterfat, that is made on location and...
, a concept that shared similar type operating procedures.
Tropical Smoothie Cafe operates in 34 different states and in India. Due to the fast growth of the franchise they hired two outside companies to help with their growth. They have created a real estate system unlike most franchises, in that they research the entire city prior to developing any stores to determine if the city is a viable area and pinpoint exactly what sites are most viable.
In 2006, Tropical Smoothie Cafe opened their 200th store in Virginia Beach, Virginia
Virginia Beach, Virginia
Virginia Beach is an independent city located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia, on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay...
.
In 2007 when most restaurants showed a decline in same store sales from the previous year, they were able to show positive same store sales and in fact posted an average same store sales percentage higher than that of other major smoothie chains and even the well known Starbucks coffee chain. The company posted over 100 million dollars in sales during 2008.
Starting in 2007, Tropical Smoothie Cafe has annually hosted its "National Flip-Flop Day" on the first day of summer
Summer
Summer is the warmest of the four temperate seasons, between spring and autumn. At the summer solstice, the days are longest and the nights are shortest, with day-length decreasing as the season progresses after the solstice...
. The first 500 customers to show up wearing flip-flops receive a free 24-oz. Jetty Punch smoothie. During the time Tropical Smoothie gives proceeds of a $1 paper flip flop from customers to send ill children and their families to "Camp Sunshine".