Wan Kim discusses his success and vision for the brand.

Smoothie King has seen an incredible turnaround since former South Korea franchisee Wan Kim took over the company, with a huge increase in AUV and global expansion headlining the brand’s forward momentum.

Kim and COO Tom O’Keefe recently sat down with Nation's Restaurant News to discuss the Smoothie King brand and some of the changes that have propelled the company’s growth.

“When I bought the company, the AUV was around $340,000. Now the AUV is around $482,000. We are looking close to a one-to-two ratio, and I think it’s becoming a very good opportunity for a lot of people,” Kim told NRN.

And in regard to the updates made to Smoothie King’s branding, O’Keefe told NRN, “We reinvigorated the brand. We kind of blew some air into the sails and there was a lot of natural traction that took hold because of that. We are a three-year-old startup, even though we had a 40-year head start.”