Tropical Smoothie Cafe, the fast-casual cafe concept known for both its better-for-you food options and smoothies with a tropical twist, today announced its franchisee award recipients at the 2019 Tropical Smoothie Cafe Convention, hosted at the Loews Sapphire Falls Resort in Orlando, Florida.
“These honorees represent some of our top-performing franchisees. They shine a light directly onto how talent is cultivated, how we guide our teams and how we lead within the restaurant industry,” says Charles Watson, CEO of Tropical Smoothie Cafe, LLC. “Franchisees continue to play a crucial role in leading our company in growth, innovation, product development and hospitality to achieve much-deserved success.”
The coveted Tropical Smoothie Cafe awards were created to acknowledge and reward the exceptional work of the company’s franchisees and area developers. The awards and their recipients were as follows:
- Build the Brand – Bill and Julie Munson, Cleveland, Ohio
- Run Great Cafes – Mike Haines, Atlanta
- Developer of the Year – DYNE Hospitality Group, Glen Johnson and Nick Crouch, Little Rock, Arkansas and Jacksonville, Florida
- Area Developer of the Year – Andrew and Terri Jessen, Naples, Florida
- Multi-Unit Franchisee of the Year – Rylan and Jennifer Miller, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
- Single-Unit Franchisee of the Year – Tim Poulos, Springfield, Ohio
- Rookie of the Year – Grant Watkins, San Angelo, Texas
- Emerging Leader – Dennis Drake, Northern Virginia
- Difference Maker – Mike Philip, Springdale, Arkansas
With more than 700 attendees, including area developers, franchisees, franchised cafe crew members and support center team members, this year’s Tropical Smoothie Cafe convention was the largest yet. More than 200 nominations were submitted for consideration by the Tropical Smoothie Cafe field leadership team, as well as area developers, cafe operators and franchisees.