Atlanta — Tropical Smoothie Cafe will open its 500th location on June 13, 2016 in Westland, Mich. The new restaurant marks a significant milestone for the brand and is a reflection of the company’s immense growth nationwide since its inception in 1997.
The new Westland cafe marks Tropical Smoothie Cafe’s 37th opening in Michigan, with 42 additional restaurants slated to open in Michigan over the next several years, 20 of which will be in the Detroit market. Additionally, the company has been consistently expanding throughout the Midwest and is on target to have more than 100 cafes open in the region in the next few years.
“We are thrilled to celebrate our 500th location, a monumental occasion that signifies the success of our aggressive growth plans. Throughout the country, more and more consumers are embracing healthier lifestyles, and we know our commitment to providing better-for-you options has been a fundamental component to our accelerated momentum and ongoing expansion,” says Mike Rotondo, CEO of Tropical Smoothie Cafe. “Over the last 5 years, we’ve grown from a regional, 200-unit chain to a national, award-winning fast casual brand and I couldn’t be more proud of our franchisees and corporate support team for driving this success.”
The new restaurant will be owned and operated by Tropical Smoothie Cafe franchisees Salem Najjar and John Abuaita, who plan to open at least six additional locations in the greater Detroit area over the next several years.
Tropical Smoothie Cafe reported its strongest year of growth in 2015 with same-stores sales of 11.25% and signed franchise agreements to develop 199 new cafes across the U.S. The brand recently reported its seventh consecutive quarter of double-digit positive comp sales. This year, the food and smoothie franchise plans to exceed 550 restaurants nationwide. By 2018, Tropical Smoothie Cafe plans to have 800 locations open across the U.S.
Tropical Smoothie Cafe’s aggressive franchise growth is backed by the entrepreneurs at the BIP Franchise Accelerator, a division of venture capital firm BIP Capital, which invested in the brand in 2010. In addition to Tropical Smoothie Cafe, the BIP Franchise Accelerator’s portfolio includes Tin Drum Asian Kitchen, which has grown to 13 locations in Georgia and Florida.
For more information, visit www.tropicalsmoothiefranchise.com.
SOURCE: Tropical Smoothie Cafe