Tropical Smoothie Café, the leading fast-casual café concept known for its better-for-you food and smoothies with a tropical twist, is actively pursuing Philadelphia and Northern New Jersey for franchise growth. Over the next 10 years, the sandwich and smoothie franchise expects to open 50 locations throughout the area in communities such as Upper Darby, Conshohocken, Norristown, Germantown, Wynnefield, South Philadelphia, and West Philadelphia.
“Tropical Smoothie Café currently operates just four cafes in New Jersey and Philadelphia, so to say we have immense opportunity to develop the region is an understatement. We see Philadelphia and North Jersey as prime markets for Tropical Smoothie Café and are actively searching for local entrepreneurs to join our growing fast casual franchise,” says Charles Watson, vice president of franchise development for Tropical Smoothie Café.
Rosalind Lindsey, a Tropical Smoothie Café franchisee who opened her first café with her family on North Broad Street in Philadelphia in 2013, spent the majority of her career dedicated to the health field before deciding to become a franchise owner. Lindsey owns the Tropical Smoothie Café in Philadelphia with family members Leslie Lindsey, Luke Kirby, and Diane Kirby.
“We knew we wanted to own our own business and after doing a lot of research on different franchisors, Tropical Smoothie Café was the obvious choice for us,” says Lindsey, who plans to open up to three additional cafés in Philadelphia. “Not only do we enjoy bringing Tropical Smoothie Café’s healthy options to North Philadelphia, we also love the freedom of owning our own business but with the support of a successful brand. Tropical Smoothie Café is truly a great company to start a franchise with, and we’re excited to continue to grow with it.”
This year, Tropical Smoothie Café plans to exceed 500 stores nationwide and sign franchise agreements for an additional 150 new locations. The brand currently has franchise opportunities across the U.S. in markets such as Atlanta, Houston, Dallas, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Columbus, Ohio, among others. By 2018, Tropical Smoothie Café plans to have 800 stores open across the U.S.
Tropical Smoothie Café is looking to add qualified franchisees to its growing brand. Candidates should have business experience, preferably in the restaurant industry; $100,000 in liquid assets and a minimum net worth of $300,000; and an initial investment of between $165,940 and $414,685. The healthy fast food franchise currently boasts an average unit volume (AUV) of more than $526,000—the highest in the company’s 17-year history—with the top 50 percent reporting an AUV of $669,000.
