PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK
Wetzel likened the effort to Jersey Mike’s five years ago. “If you look at where they would have been five or six years ago as they started to turn on the marketing dollar, that’s kind-of where we’re at right now,” he said. “We have a long runway to go here on brand awareness. It’s the No. 1 thing we have to get more people to try us.” That’s not the only thing that Tropical Smoothie is doing these days, of course. The chain in 2022 launched a loyalty program that is now up to 12 million members. One out of three of the chain’s sales have come through the program, and the company recently launched Tropic mode so its most loyal customers get greater rewards. Tropical Smoothie is still getting plenty of interest in growth. The company is on pace to have 1,800 locations by the end of this year. It has more than 900 locations in its pipeline, and 44% of its new franchise agreements are with multi-unit, multi-brand operators. Those franchisees are reinvesting in the system. The company earlier this year rolled out “Smooth Operator,” a new makeline for crafting the chain’s food and smoothies out more quickly and consistently. The company is also investing in digital sales. It is also regularly introducing new items, such as the Watermelon Mojito Smoothie, which has returned every year for the past 12 years as a limited-time offer. In January and February, the chain launched protein smoothies and in March it added Boba Bowls. “It’s kind-of at an inflection point,” Wetzel said. “It’s like this next chapter of our growth. “There’s a lot of things that we’re building that I think give us a long runway from here as a national brand.”
“THERE’S A LOT OF THINGS THAT WE’RE BUILDING THAT I THINK GIVE US A LONG RUNWAY FROM HERE AS A NATIONAL
BRAND.” Max Wetzel, CEO
JULY 2026 RESTAURANT BUSINESS
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