Why Main Squeeze Juice Co. Gifted a Franchise to This Local Couple

Main Squeeze Juice Co., a fast casual juice and smoothie bar concept, is on a mission to make its mark on the $800 billion health and wellness industry as it expands through franchising. And when it comes to who it is franchising with, being aligned on culture and purpose is everything.

On their way home from a workout, Taylor Shellhaas convinced her husband, Jon, to stop at a local juice bar in Bossier City, Louisiana. After reluctantly agreeing to go, Jon noticed a sign that the store was hiring. 

“While we were in the drive-thru, I asked the general manager for an application for Taylor, who was unemployed at the time,” said Jon. “He ended up hiring her pretty much on the spot.” 

Within two months, Taylor was appointed shift lead and in just five months, she took over as general manager. Throughout 2022, the couple had been talking with corporate on and off about the possibility of buying the store. During this time, Jon, who is currently active duty in the Air Force, started getting more involved with the brand. He believed in the company so much that he even offered to help out with marketing for free. 

“I started working with corporate and getting more involved with marketing to help Taylor out,” he said. “We brought in more customers and little by little I got closer with the team and started working part time when Taylor became general manager.” 

Jon started learning all the ins and outs of Main Squeeze and, while on a three week break from the military, he spent all his time working at the store. While he was there, one of Main Squeeze’s secret shoppers visited the location. This is when the brand sends someone to a store to ask questions, see certain scenarios play out and grade a store’s appearance. “We ended up getting the secret shopper results back and I got a 99% on the grade, the highest that Main Squeeze had ever seen since franchising,” Jon explained.

Because he was so impressed with the couple, CEO Thomas Nieto contacted Senior Director of Development Jessie Williams to let him know he wanted to gift the store to Taylor and Jon. A few weeks later, the couple signed on the dotted line and became owners with Main Squeeze. 

Although the couple already loved the brand from working there as employees, Jon noted it was the family-oriented atmosphere that really sealed the deal in becoming owners. “Jessie would take phone calls for me at eight o’clock at night and help me out with anything I needed for the store,” he said. “The whole team was always there to help. It made me realize how awesome of a company it is. Taylor also absolutely loves this company. When she talks about it, her face lights up and you can see how happy she is.” 

Jon also emphasized how hands on the brand is when it comes to support. “Any problem you have is like calling your next door neighbor,” he said. Main Squeeze puts a lot of time and effort into making sure its franchisees are set up for success from start to launch, and well beyond opening. 

“We have a whole onboarding process where we go through the roadmap to be able to get their store open,” said Nieto. This covers everything from a proprietary site selection process that uses over 50 data points to find the perfect location, to thorough training programs, and even staying with franchisees through the opening period to make sure everything runs as smoothly as possible.  

The corporate team has also developed management software that gives owners control over their business no matter where they are located. The custom-made software program assists with everything from the point-of-sale system to inventory management to employee onboarding to food production to text message marketing and more.

Jon noted that the brand’s focus on making healthy easy for everyone is what sets it apart. “The cold pressed juice portion of the store is the bread and butter, but there’s something for everyone here,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if you’ve been a vegan for 10 years or you’re just beginning to get into healthy eating. There’s going to be something in the store that can entice you and help you along in your journey.” 

In Bossier City, Main Squeeze Juice Co.’s niche offerings are doing well and Jon says the couple plans to keep expanding throughout the community. “Whether that means partnering with more businesses, making those ties in the community or opening up other locations,” he said. “I would love to expand this company to its full potential. There’s a lot there.” 

The initial investment associated with opening a Main Squeeze Juice Company store will range from $385,050 to $682,750. For more information on franchising with the brand, visit https://www.mainsqueezefranchise.com/.

*To see the full fees and financials, please reference the 2022 Franchise Disclosure Document Item 7 and Item 19.