Own the better-for-you franchise
Consumers today are seeking better-for-you food options that don't force them to sacrifice on flavor. We continue to share the craveability of the tropics and satisfy the tastes of our health-conscious guests. To keep up with demand, we opened 165 Cafes in 2025, and have been recognized as one of the fastest-growing franchises by Entrepreneur and Nation's Restaurant News.
Open Cafes
Source: Tropical Smoothie Cafe Franchise Disclosure Document, fiscal year ending 12/28/2025.
“Tropical Smoothie has the best support team. It’s just like a family business.”
You've got a full menu of real estate options
Our in-line traditional locations, end-cap locations with and without drive-thrus, freestanding locations and non-traditional locations, give Franchise Owners a variety of flexible options.
- End-cap
- In-line
- Freestanding
- Non-traditional
- Flexible site types with or without drive-thru
- 1,200 – 1,800 square feet
- Ideally at least 20′ wide
We offer a balanced mix of smoothies and food
What clearly distinguishes Tropical Smoothie Cafe from the competition is our balanced mix of smoothies and food, serving multiple dayparts: breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, and snack, and multiple revenue streams like dine-in, drive-thru, delivery, and catering. That mix helps drive our average ticket sales and systemwide average net revenues of $1,251,191 in the top 50% of Cafes.*
Top 50% Average Net Revenues*
$1,251,191
System-Wide Average Net Revenues*
$978,298
We’re All In
Nothing is impossible when you work as a team with an all-in attitude. It’s the core of our commitment to give our Franchise Family a winning advantage:
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Innovation
We think bigger and continue to innovate, creating strategies like a simplified menu that helps hold down costs without sacrificing quality.
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Marketing
We leverage a full spectrum of marketing tools to drive awareness, excitement, trial, and loyalty for the brand. Our guests love our Tropical Rewards® app and show their loyalty by spending more each visit and visiting more often.
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Online Tools
We have online tools in place to help Franchise Owners monitor their food costs, labor costs, and customer relations remotely.
What's fueling our healthy growth?
The huge demand for healthier food choices drives business to our doors. What keeps people coming back is the Tropical Smoothie Cafe experience. It’s our unique combination of irresistible food, a cool beachy vibe, and fun, friendly service.
Thanks to our franchisees and their all-in teams, we’re consistently popular. But there’s still plenty of room to grow. We have many territories available, giving you the opportunity to bring a tropical escape to your community and dominate your market.
165
New Cafes opened in 2025
1,750+
Cafes open nationwide
"I teach my employees that part of our mission is to deliver exceptional service and products. And that we will all succeed together."
Matt Mawdsley
Multi-Unit Franchise Owner
Bold flavors are in demand
Our Culinary Team is always looking for what’s new and noteworthy to satisfy our guests’ cravings for bold flavors that awaken the senses. Throughout the year, we introduce new flavors to our guests and drive sales to our Cafes with limited-time offerings.
We keep it simple
At a time when everything seems to be getting more complex, we’ve created a business model that’s simpler. We’ve done away with costly elements of food prep—there are no fryers or hoods—which keeps development costs low. Instead, there are just high-powered blenders, a convection oven, and our fresh, flavorful ingredients that win over brand fans everywhere we go.
Our Cafes are easier to operate, so you can connect with your guests and mentor a team that’s young, high-energy, and passionate about the brand. Our guests love our Cafes, and our employees enjoy the atmosphere, which helps you attract and retain high-quality team members. We’re dedicated to your success and will pair you with a trusted Franchise Business Leader that will help guide and support you along the way.
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No fryers or hoods
Lower buildout costs
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High-powered blenders
And a single convection oven — that’s it
