Smoothie King, the world's largest smoothie brand and the first health and fitness fast casual brand of its kind, announced its Q2 2024 brand update, reporting 18 new store openings within the quarter and 34 new store commitments.
The quarter's 18 store openings include new Smoothie King locations across markets in Georgia, Texas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Florida, New York, Kentucky, Colorado, and Wisconsin. Notably, the new Atlanta store features a brand-new franchisee, rapper and long-time Smoothie King fan, 2 Chainz. 2 Chainz opened a Smoothie King kiosk inside Atlanta's State Farm Arena in June 2024 in partnership with longtime Smoothie King franchisee and friend, Philip Jones. The brand's next non-traditional unit is scheduled to open this month with an airport store located in Terminal A of the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. The DFW Airport location is slated to open July 21, creating a convenient opportunity for travelers to enjoy nutritious, delicious smoothies en route to or from their gate.
Consistent with the previous quarter, the majority of Q2's new store commitments (64%) are with existing Smoothie King franchisees, signifying confidence and excitement with the Smoothie King investment opportunity. These new deals for the quarter were signed in eleven different states. Among these, Smoothie King will be entering the markets of Grand Rapids, MI and Toledo, OH for the first time. The brand is slated to open six units in the Grand Rapids DMA and five units in Toledo.
Smoothie King prides itself on providing a compelling investment opportunity—highlighted by a lower cost model and simple operations—for passionate entrepreneurs interested in entering the restaurant industry as franchisees. Smoothie King is operated by over 500 franchisees across the country, guided by a business model that's been tested and perfected for over 50 years. As a result, the brand has repeatedly been recognized as a top franchise opportunity, having been featured in the top 100 of Restaurant Business' and Nation's Restaurant News' 2023 Top 500 lists.
"We are pleased with the continued growth of our development pipeline and our reporting this quarter exemplifies the strategic plan to extend the Smoothie King market reach and bring our product to new guests around the country," said Chris Bremer, Chief Development Officer.
Within Q2, Smoothie King also launched a new beverage category and its first drink served over ice, SK Refreshers. The line of iced-cold, lightly caffeinated fresh fruit beverages debuted at Smoothie King locations nationwide in May 2024, and marked the first permanent menu layer for Smoothie King since the launch of Smoothie Bowls in April 2023. SK Refreshers pack a punch with delicious blends of real fruits and juice, plus Vitamin A and E antioxidants and natural caffeine from green coffee beans. The beverages are available in Pineapple Mango and Strawberry Guava flavors and come in a lemonade version for an extra burst of sweetness.
All Smoothie King locations adhere to the brand's Clean Blends Promise, which prioritizes great-tasting smoothies with more whole fruits and vegetables while removing artificial flavors, colors and preservatives and added sugars in many of its blends. This commitment to blend a more nutritious smoothie from the bottom of the cup up is exemplified with Smoothie King's strict "No-No List" of ingredients prohibited from entering blends.