The brand’s simple process has helped restaurant neophytes thrive in the system.

Ask anyone who’s ever owned a food-service business what their biggest pain point was and chances are you’ll get an earful. High foods costs, labor issues, long hours – the list can go on and on.

However, this isn’t a list Smoothie King franchisees find themselves reciting.

“Our franchisees don’t have to deal with the hassles of the food category even though technically we’re still in the food category,” said Chad Tramuta, franchise development manager at Smoothie King. “We just don’t have the same headaches.”

Much of this is due to how the brand has taken the complexity out of the kitchen, as it were.

“Our processes are very simple,” said Franchise Development Manager Stephen Foley. “If you can read instructions, you can create a perfectly blended smoothie. A lot of proprietary tools are in place to streamline our business and make it easy and consistent to our guests.”

Just ask Quamisha Nelson, a Smoothie King franchisee in Jacksonville, N.C. who’s in the process of opening up her second location.

“I had never worked in a restaurant at all before,” Nelson said. “I didn’t have any experience in food service, but I do have a business degree. I was looking for an opportunity that had simple operations. That’s what drew me to Smoothie King – the simplicity, low operating costs and the fact that it could be so profitable.”

When Nelson, a teacher, first began her training with the brand, she felt overwhelmed. She was about to go from someone who had never made a smoothie to someone who sold them professionally.

“But once they showed you the process, it all made sense,” she said. “It’s a very, very easy system to pick up and replicate. They really set you up to be successful.”

It’s for this reason that so many franchisees with no prior food-service experience are drawn to the brand.

“The easiest part about this business is making the
smoothie,” Tramuta said. “ “It’s as simple as following step-by-step
instructions.”  

Nelson is far from the only Smoothie King franchisee to join the brand without
any restaurant industry experience, but as Tramuta pointed out, the brand is
not your typical restaurant concept.

“Smoothie King is more about purpose than just a great tasting smoothie,” he said. “Currently 85% of our guests consider our smoothies to be a meal replacement. Most of our guests frequent their neighborhood Smoothie King to achieve a certain goal. Every smoothie and its purpose is highlighted on our menu under categories such as: Fitness Blends; Slim Blends; Wellness Blends; Energy Blends; Take a Break Blends.. Many of our franchisees invest in Smoothie King because they want to be associated with a brand they’re passionate about and, more importantly, can take pride in knowing they’re providing a service to help people.”

The brand’s dedication to a healthier lifestyle helps that passion grow larger every day. And, of course, the fact that Smoothie King franchisees can avoid the common headaches typically associated with the food category doesn’t hurt either.