Quick-service restaurants (QSRs) and fast-casual concepts are among the fastest growing segments in the restaurant franchise industry. However, the mess and expenses that come along with kitchen equipment like fryers and grills can be major drawbacks. For franchisees looking to enter the food and beverage space, Smoothie King offers a cleaner franchise concept in more ways than one.
With minimal equipment and no cooking, Smoothie King franchises are streamlined and clean, offering several benefits to not only franchisees but also their team members and guests.
1. Minimal Equipment and Lower Costs
Blenders, refrigerators and freezers are essentially the only equipment necessary to operate a Smoothie King location. This means lower expenses dedicated toward equipment and less cleaning.
In contrast, many fast-casual or full-service restaurant operators have to maintain equipment like grills, griddles, ranges, flattops and fryers. The minimal equipment required at Smoothie King makes it easier to maintain a clean storefront and can help you avoid health inspection issues.
With less equipment and easier cleanup, you don’t need as many staff members on site to efficiently run a Smoothie King as you would at many other QSRs and fast-casual restaurants. The average store can operate with between nine and 12 team members, with two or three in store at all times. And instead of dedicating excessive time to cleaning up greasy messes, your team can concentrate their efforts on creating an exceptional guest experience.
Meanwhile, compared to initial purchase costs and the costs of the routine maintenance and cleaning required for more complex restaurant equipment, the minimal equipment at a Smoothie King store offers lower equipment and materials costs compared to other QSR and fast-casual concepts.
2. Franchisee and Team Member Satisfaction
In addition to benefiting our franchisees, our clean franchise concept offers advantages for franchise team members. Minimal equipment, streamlined menu and simpler operations help make the team member experience enjoyable. Since there are no grills or fryers and no cooking required, Smoothie King team members and franchise owners enjoy going home without smelling like fried food.
3. Quality Customer Experience
When franchisees and their employees are happy and purpose-driven, your guests will be, too. Guests benefit from our cleaner franchise concept because it allows for smooth customer flow, making every trip to Smoothie King simple, quick and enjoyable.
Guests can quickly and easily read the menu, place their order, watch their smoothie be made and pick up their order. The customer experience in a clean, streamlined store is fast and simple, making it easy for guests to include Smoothie King in their daily routine as they work toward their purpose.
4. Cleaner for the Planet
A cleaner franchise concept can also make it easier for franchisees to reduce their store’s impact on the environment. With less equipment, stores require fewer resources to operate on a daily basis. In addition, fewer ingredients and minimal packaging and utensils help to minimize waste.
Smoothie King is committed to making the planet cleaner. Our decision to introduce new recyclable cups to replace our Styrofoam supply is one recent step we took toward achieving that goal.
5. Clean Ingredients, Even Cleaner Restaurant Franchise Concept
Smoothie King is a cleaner franchise concept in every sense of the word, and that includes our ingredients. Through our Cleaner Blending initiative, we are working to remove artificial flavors, artificial colors, artificial preservatives, added hormones, and GMO fruits and veggies from our smoothies and adding more whole fruits and vegetables.
Our commitment to Cleaner Blending helps make clean eating easier for Smoothie King guests.
Purpose is at the heart of everything we do at Smoothie King. So whether your purpose is to provide a better-for-you alternative meal/beverage option for your community, help keep our environment clean or support your guests’ nutrition and wellness goals, our clean franchise concept makes it possible for you to do what you love.
