This Popular Smoothie Chain Is Bigger Than Jamba Juice and Growing Fast
Jamba Juice may be the name most synonymous with "healthy" fast food and smoothies on the go. After all, the chain has just over 720 locations throughout the United States, with a stronghold in the state that championed the juicing and smoothie trend: California.
On the other hand, Jamba Juice's competitor Tropical Smoothie Café has only a smattering of locations throughout California and the other West Coast states. But don't read into that disparity, because when you look at the numbers nationwide, Tropical Smoothie Café is by far the larger chain, and one that is growing at a rapid rate.
In an interview with Mashed, the CEO of Tropical Smoothie Café, Charles Watson, said that the company, which operates on a franchise basis, is slated to open its 1,000th location this year. And that growth comes on the heels of a surprisingly good last year for the smoothie giant, despite the complications of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"I think we did a very nice job during 2020," Watson said. "We opened 99 new restaurants. So just one shy of 100. Nobody knew what was going to happen."
And Watson has nothing but confidence that the growth will continue. "Our goal is to get to 1,500 cafes by 2024. I think we're well on our way—this is a brand that you're going to be hearing a lot more about."
The Tropical Smoothie brand is currently present in 44 states and plans to be in all 50 before long. Existing Tropical Smoothie Café locations have seen a sales increase, with same-store revenues up almost 30% compared to last year, according to Watson, and more tellingly, up 7.5% over the pre-pandemic year 2019.
For more, check out:
- 5 Major Fast-Food Chains Falling Out of Favor With Customers
- Burgers at This Popular Chain Will Get More Expensive Soon, Executives Say
- The #1 Type of Person You'll Find Eating at McDonald's, Data Says
And don't forget to sign up for our newsletter to get the latest restaurant news delivered straight to your inbox.
More content from Restaurants
- – This Pizza Chain Could More Than Double in Size in "No Time," Thanks to Growing Popularity
- – 30 Secrets Starbucks Employees Wish You Knew
- – 5 Regional Fast-Food Chains Customers Are Flocking To
- – McDonald's Struggles to Keep Its Inner Turmoil Under McWraps
- – 5 Restaurant Chains We've Lost for Good This Year
- – Starting Next Week, McDonald's Will Be Exploding With Deals and Celebrity Collaborations
- – This Barbecue Chain Is Lowering the Prices On Its Most Popular Menu Items
- – This Old-School Restaurant Chain Is Overhauling Its Menu To Attract Younger Customers