
CHARLES WATSON
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Tropical Smoothie Cafe CEO Charles Watson has been with the company for more than 10 years and is passionate about supporting the franchise system’s sustainable growth, the success of its franchisees, and the execution of the brand’s Inspire Better mission.
Prior to being named CEO in 2018, Charles served as the chief development officer for Tropical Smoothie Cafe. In that role, he was responsible for all aspects of franchise development, real estate, design and construction and franchise administration and helped grow the system from 265 open units to 725 open units. Charles recently joined his team in celebrating the opening of the 1,000th Tropical Smoothie Cafe location. Tropical Smoothie Cafe has deals in place for hundreds more locations in the pipeline and is on track to meet Charles’ aggressive goal to hit 1,500 locations by the end of 2024.
A veteran franchise professional, Charles has worked for several hospitality-related companies including Intercontinental Hotels Group and US Franchise Systems. Charles also serves on the boards of the International Franchise Association (IFA) and the Certified Franchise Executive (CFE) program.
Charles is a graduate of The Hotel School at Cornell University and holds a Master of Business Administration from The Terry College of Business at The University of Georgia.