Since 1973, Smoothie King has evolved into the nation’s #1 health and fitness smoothie brand. Since we started franchising in 1988, we’ve opened over 1,300 locations in 34 states across the U.S. and three countries, which is longer than all of our competitors have been around.
With our better-for-you blends, our Clean Blends initiative, ease of operations, leadership, support and unique franchise profitability, Smoothie King stands strong among other quick service restaurants.
We’re Dedicated to Franchisee Profitability
Our franchise development team isn’t just here to assist you with opening a business; we’re here to help you grow it—year after year. Our franchisees make it their mission to serve people in their communities while supporting one another, thanks to our broad leadership and support structure.
We’re focusing on assisting our franchisees in achieving increased unit volume and EBITDA through operational efficiency and new technology as we’ve entered 2022, as well as maintaining a commitment to our purpose and vision through new product launches and system-wide initiatives.
In 2021, Smoothie King set a new record for average unit volume (AUV) of $834,562 for the top 25% of franchised units in operation, as well as a first-time store-level EBITDA of 20%. In total, our brand saw a 16.5% sales increase year-over-year domestically and opened 109 new stores globally.
We’re Growing at Rapid Speed
In addition to excellent sales, we’ve secured 196 domestic store commitments and welcomed 38 new domestic franchisees in 2021, which beat the goal we set for 125 signed agreements back in 2020. Of the 196 store commitments, 63% came directly from existing franchisees eager to expand across the country. This expansion demonstrates our brand’s objective of being a vital part of every health and fitness journey shared by guests and franchisees.
In addition, we were recently ranked No. 13 on the Franchise 500 list by Entrepreneur Magazine. Our brand climbed six spots from last year’s ranking, solidifying Smoothie King’s position as the industry leader among consumers and competition. Smoothie King was also awarded one of Franchise Business Review’s Top Franchises for 2022.
Our steady and strong growth exemplifies the economic momentum driving community revitalization in the United States. Our team is confident in the metrics we’ll meet in 2022 after comfortably exceeding our brand expansion goals in 2021. We expect to attract 70 new franchisees and sign 200 total store commitments this year, extending brand awareness and core messaging across the country more effectively than ever before.
Our Mission is to Inspire People to Live a Healthy and Active Lifestyle
Smoothie King franchisees not only invest in themselves and their business; they also invest in the health and wellness of their guests.
Fruits, vegetables, yogurt and dairy can all be thrown into a blender by anyone. However, our brand offers delicious and purposeful smoothies created by experts on our research and development team. We monitor trends and look at what items are missing from our menu to develop new smoothies and refresh old ones.
Our high-quality ingredients are carefully blended to meet the specific goals of our guests without ever sacrificing flavor. We also allow our guests to customize every smoothie to fit their purpose.
At Smoothie King, we provide the training, resources and expertise to help franchisees blend the perfect smoothie for their guests and succeed in the rapidly expanding smoothie industry.
We Require A Modest Franchise Investment
With our simple, tried-and-true franchise system, we’re committed to getting our franchisees off to a fantastic start by offering a fair startup cost, as well as a discounted franchise fee for Veterans. See here for details on the investment to learn more about our FDD.
While each smoothie franchise system varies, many propose third-party lenders to prospective franchisees. Thanks to Smoothie King’s positive relationship with certain lenders, candidates have a better chance of approval and lower rates. We also provide candidates with free asset verification, credit check and confirmation.
“For Smoothie King, it’s worth the investment to provide these services at no cost,” Chad Tramuta, Smoothie King’s Franchise Development Director, said. “Not only do we advocate for our franchisees’ business success, but we also show them that there are financing options available, which is a big worry for many first-time owners.”
By keeping a careful eye on the metrics that drive unit performance, we’re always striving to improve our franchisees’ business strategy and smoothie operations.
We Offer Best-In-Class Leadership & Support
We’ve perfected our training and support strategies as an experienced franchise brand with 48+ years of proven operations. We give franchisees extensive training on all things Smoothie King because we know that thorough instruction is a significant key to their success. Franchisees are granted access to our full intranet for all of their operational, training and support needs.
When demonstrating our dedication to each franchisee, the little things can go a long way. Our support team is always quick to reach out and offer assistance by answering questions, making recommendations and assisting franchisees with the day-to-day tasks that come with running a business.
As part of our comprehensive field support, our experts will come to your location, personally train you and your team, and assist you in understanding Smoothie King operations.
When Heidi Law, a franchisee in New Jersey, was looking for a location for her Smoothie King, fellow franchisees and corporate team members were eager to reach out and offer assistance.
“I was so impressed with how supportive and willing they were to listen and help me every step of the way,” said Heidi. “They took a genuine interest in my issues and offered to help in any way they could. In fact, Smoothie King CEO Wan Kim personally reached out to the landlord on my behalf to help get the ball rolling.”
We Blend Opportunity With Success
As our loyal customer base and product demand continue to rise, our brand recognition will continue to grow. Our unique blends, purpose-driven initiatives, extensive franchisee training, and scalable franchise model will continue to beat out the competition for years to come.
Whether you’re an existing or first-time franchisee, our systems have been fine-tuned to make your businesses easier to operate, with less inventory and waste, numerous revenue sources and a less expensive investment than competing quick service restaurants.
