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ATLANTA<\/span>, April 19, 2016<\/span> \/PRNewswire\/ — Tropical Smoothie Caf\u00e9, the leading fast casual caf\u00e9 concept known for its better-for-you food and smoothies with a tropical twist, announced today that during the first quarter of 2016 it signed franchise agreements to open 36 restaurants that will expand the sandwich and smoothie franchise<\/a> into new and existing markets nationwide. Additionally, the brand achieved a 9.5 percent growth in same-store sales over the first quarter of last year.<\/p>\n “Tropical Smoothie Caf\u00e9 consistently sees the highest comp sales among its competitors \u2014 which include fast casual chains in addition to smoothie concepts. Our brand currently boasts the highest average unit volume in the company’s 19-year history, which is a true testament to the quality of our products and our remarkable network of franchisees,” said Mike Rotondo<\/span>, CEO of Tropical Smoothie Caf\u00e9. “Tropical Smoothie Caf\u00e9 has incredible growth potential, particularly now as we roll out our new mobile ordering and payment app, as well as a new caf\u00e9 management tool, that will drive sales, traffic and profitability. It’s a great time to be a part of this brand.”<\/p>\n Multi-unit franchisee Glenn Johnson<\/span> currently has 14 cafes open with six additional caf\u00e9s in development in Oklahoma<\/span> and West Texas<\/span>. The former broker and developer plans to have 25 Tropical Smoothie Caf\u00e9 locations by December 2018<\/span>.<\/p>\n “I’m proud to be part of a brand that has experienced significant growth year after year. Our top-notch leadership team continues to introduce both menu items and technology solutions that drive franchisees’ profitability,” said Glen Johnson<\/span>, who joined Tropical Smoothie Caf\u00e9 in 2011. “Their steadfast dedication to this franchise concept is the primary reason why I am committed to developing the brand across Oklahoma<\/span>, Texas<\/span> and Arkansas<\/span>.”<\/p>\n This year, the food and\u00a0smoothie franchise<\/a>\u00a0plans to exceed 550 restaurants nationwide. The brand currently has\u00a0franchise opportunities<\/a>\u00a0across the U.S. in markets such as Miami<\/span>, Philadelphia<\/span>, Boston,\u00a0Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth<\/span>, Atlanta<\/span>, Columbus<\/span>and Charlotte, among others.\u00a0By 2018, Tropical Smoothie Caf\u00e9 plans to have 800 units open across the U.S.<\/p>\n To further fuel development, Tropical Smoothie Caf\u00e9 will be exhibiting at the Multi-Unit Franchising Conference<\/a> April 26-29<\/span> at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas<\/span>. Entrepreneurs looking to become a franchise owner<\/a> are invited to meet with the brand’s franchise development team at booth #431 to learn more about growth opportunities across the country.<\/p>\n Tropical Smoothie Caf\u00e9 is looking to add qualified franchisees to its growing brand. Candidates should have business experience; $125,000<\/span> in liquid assets and a minimum net worth of $350,000<\/span>; and an initial investment of between $210,550 and $478,550<\/span>. The\u00a0healthy fast food franchise\u00a0currently boasts an average unit volume (AUV) of more than\u00a0$634,000\u00a0\u2014 the highest in the company’s 19-year history \u2014 with the top 50 percent reporting an AUV of more than\u00a0$806,000.<\/p>\n Tropical Smoothie Caf\u00e9’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. BIP Capital has invested more than\u00a0$250 million\u00a0in emerging, high-growth brands across the franchising, software, and technology and consumer products industries. BIP Capital created the BIP Franchise Accelerator to leverage its leadership team’s deep franchise experience to help emerging brands accelerate their growth. In addition to Tropical Smoothie Caf\u00e9, the BIP Franchise Accelerator’s portfolio includes Tin Drum Asian Kitchen, which has grown to 13 locations in Georgia<\/span> and Florida<\/span>.<\/p>\n For more information about opening your own Tropical Smoothie Caf\u00e9 franchise<\/a>, please visitwww.tropicalsmoothiefranchise.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n About Tropical Smoothie Caf\u00e9 About the BIP Franchise Accelerator <\/p>\n URL :\u00a0http:\/\/www.prnewswire.com\/news-releases\/tropical-smoothie-cafe-closes-first-quarter-with-36-new-franchise-agreements-and-unprecedented-average-unit-volume-300253796.html<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" ATLANTA, April 19, 2016 \/PRNewswire\/ — Tropical Smoothie Caf\u00e9, the leading fast casual caf\u00e9 concept known for its better-for-you food and smoothies with a tropical twist, announced today that during the first quarter of 2016 it signed franchise agreements to open 36 restaurants that will expand the sandwich and smoothie franchise into new and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":308,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[29],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mfa.org.my\/mfa2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4523"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mfa.org.my\/mfa2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mfa.org.my\/mfa2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mfa.org.my\/mfa2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mfa.org.my\/mfa2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4523"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mfa.org.my\/mfa2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4523\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mfa.org.my\/mfa2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/308"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mfa.org.my\/mfa2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4523"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mfa.org.my\/mfa2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4523"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mfa.org.my\/mfa2020\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4523"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n<\/span><\/b>Founded in 1997,\u00a0Tropical Smoothie Caf\u00e9\u00a0is a fast-casual restaurant concept inspiring healthy lifestyles across the country, with over 480 locations nationwide. With snack and meal options for any time of day,\u00a0Tropical Smoothie Caf\u00e9\u00a0serves smoothies, salads, tacos, wraps, sandwiches, and flatbreads. The rapidly growing franchise has received numerous accolades including being ranked on\u00a0Entrepreneur’<\/i>s 2016\u00a0Franchise 500, 2015 Fast Casual Top 100 Movers and Shakers, Franchise Times’ <\/i>Top 200+ and Nation’s Restaurant News’<\/i>\u00a02015 Top 200.\u00a0Tropical Smoothie Caf\u00e9\u00a0is seeking qualified\u00a0franchisees\u00a0to expand\u00a0throughout the United States\u00a0in markets such as Miami<\/span>, Philadelphia<\/span>, Boston,\u00a0Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth<\/span>, Atlanta<\/span>, Columbus<\/span> and Charlotte, among others.<\/p>\n
\n<\/span><\/b>The BIP Franchise Accelerator is a division of BIP Capital, an Atlanta<\/span>-based venture capital firm with over $250 million<\/span> invested in over 26 companies in emerging, high-growth brands across the franchising, software, technology and consumer products industries. BIP Capital created the BIP Franchise Accelerator to leverage its leadership team’s deep franchise experience to help emerging brands accelerate their growth. The BIP Franchise Accelerator not only provides investment capital, but also uses proven strategies to help companies evolve into mature, thriving brands. From fast casual and QSR concepts to service brands and healthcare and education concepts, the BIP Franchise Accelerator has invested in emerging brands driven by people with an entrepreneurial spirit that have a great growth potential. Its current portfolio includes Tropical Smoothie Caf\u00e9, Tin Drum Asian Kitchen and BIP Franchise Finance. For more information on BIP Franchise Accelerator, visit www.bipfranchiseaccelerator.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n