In franchising, simple operations breeds brand-wide consistency. This is reflected in the look and feel of the branding, as well as individual guest experiences. At Smoothie King, our simple product and operational systems allow us to ensure that our guests receive the same experience each and every time they step into any one of our over 800 locations.

In order to create system-wide consistency, we must first put in place the operational infrastructure that will make it easy for all of our franchisees to implement and replicate. After decades of perfecting our operations, we’ve come up with three key factors that allow our franchisees to deliver a uniform Smoothie King product and experience across the world.

1.The Right Training

A great quality product is essential, but you can’t get there without proper training. We want to do everything possible to help provide our franchisees with the training they need to become experts from day one. The training we provide, through manuals, in-person meetings and videos are broken down into three separate phases:

Initial Orientation

Management Training

Store Opening

From the moment Smoothie King franchisees sign on, they have access to the support of our franchise office, including our training, real estate, design and construction, operations, and marketing teams. Our training will assist you in owning and operating a Smoothie King and each training session is designed to be consistent across the board.

 “The training provided by Smoothie King, through manuals and videos, lends a great deal to the consistency of operations,” said Indianapolis-based franchisee Chris Sgroi. “Corporate never leaves you hanging after you’ve paid the franchise fee, and they do a fantastic job training and assisting their franchisees in order to create a consistent product. That consistency translates to a happy guest base, and it’s the same service system-wide.”

2. The Right Tools

One of the tools we use to create product consistency is our recipe management system that is directly tied to our point of sale (POS) system. Every single smoothie on our menu is customizable to our guests’ exact specifications. When a custom order is placed through the POS, our recipe management system responds by immediately changing in the formulation to accommodate the order. It even takes into consideration how much water and ice to adjust to give our guests a consistent product every single time.

This eliminates staff error and ensures that the smoothies are being created to our exact specifications for every order. When we ensure that a guest has a consistent experience, no matter what location they go to, it increases satisfaction and ultimately motivates repeat visits.

We also provide our franchisees access to our SMG system that they can use for guest feedback. We find the honest and thoughtful guest reviews help franchisees understand how they are performing from their guests directly. Hearing feedback straight from the source is a great way for our franchisees to understand what they are excelling at and help keep the service consistent.

3. The Right Support

Small efforts go a long way to show our commitment to each franchisee. Our support team is available for questions, to recommend best practices, and to help franchisees face the normal challenges of owning a business.

The field support we offer is thorough and complete. Our trainers are sent on location to train you and your staff and help you understand the key aspects of Smoothie King operations.

“When I opened my first location, the corporate team sent a trainer to my store and taught the team members how to make smoothies within two days,” said Todd Pater, a multi-unit franchisee from Orlando. “It was amazing to see one person take a team of 10 people and teach them that aspect of the business that quickly.”

For franchisees who are navigating business ownership for the first time, all of our staffing, marketing, and technology support can also be found in our operations manual.

“The support infrastructure at Smoothie King has been excellent,” added Todd. “They have developed a well-defined playbook that provides operators with local marketing assets and practical advice for daily operations.”

How Do You Get Started?

Are you looking to provide consistently positive experiences for your community? Learn more about becoming a Smoothie King franchisee by downloading our Franchise Kit.