OPENING A SMOOTHIE BAR FRANCHISE
There are many different ways to successfully run a business but no matter what type of business you hope to establish, there is no getting around this simple fact: if you want to succeed as a business owner, you will need to provide a good or service that people actually want.
So, what does this mean for an aspiring business owner? It means you’ll need to have a deep understanding of your target market, keep a close watch on broad consumer trends, and also be able to make changes to your approach to the market, when needed.
Keeping this in mind, have you noticed how global trends are shifting? Even just 20 years ago, most fast food franchises were all about unhealthy, calorie-laden options like burgers and milkshakes. That’s what people wanted back then. But times are changing, which has created a wide range of new and lucrative opportunities for entrepreneurs.
As consumers have become more and more aware of the impact nutrition makes on our health, there has been a definite shift in the way fast food restaurants work. Customers demand healthier options made with fresh ingredients that reflect a healthy lifestyle.
Wellness entrepreneur and founder of Pure Green, Ross Franklin, knew this when he opened his flagship store back in 2014 in New York City. Since then, the Pure Green business has taken off, with new franchise opportunities opening up all around the country. Pure Green specialized in providing healthy, delicious smoothies, juices and other drinks and, as an organization, has gained widespread recognition for their commitment to quality and customer well-being.
Is opening a new smoothie bar franchise right for you? How can you go about opening your smoothie bar? And what franchise opportunities are available? These are just a few of the questions you might currently be asking yourself. Luckily, we’re here to help. Our Complete Guide for Opening a Smoothie Bar Franchise will answer all these questions and more. Let’s start by taking a quick look at the smoothie industry itself.
HOW BIG IS THE SMOOTHIE INDUSTRY?
The smoothie industry is one of the fastest-growing markets available, growing at a considerably faster rate than many other types of franchises within the broader food and beverage industry. Taste, health, and diversity of smoothie choices are just a few of the reasons why, compared to years past, the smoothie industry is more popular than ever before.
According to the Market Data Forecast, the smoothie industry was estimated to be worth $12.10 billion. That’s an impressive figure that, in fact, is larger than the entire GDP of some of the world’s smaller nations.
But not only is the smoothie industry currently very large—it is expected to continue to grow over the course of the next decade. In fact, t is estimated that by the end of 2027, this number will have reached USD 17 billion, with the smoothie franchise subsection accounting for a significant percentage of this. The smoothie bar has, as a result, become one of the more profitable franchise opportunities out there. So, what even is a smoothie bar franchise anyway?
UNDERSTANDING THE SMOOTHIE BAR FRANCHISE MODEL
The franchise model is currently used in many different industries, but it is especially popular within the food and beverage industry. With a franchise, you will have access to various different resources and types of support, such as corporate guidance, help with financial and legal services, built-in marketing, and so much more.
The way the franchise model works is simple: in exchange for these valuable types of support, franchise owners will pay a set fee. After that, they will have immediate access to everything the franchise offers. This allows the smoothie franchise owner to entirely avoid the need to establish each business function on their own—not only does this help the franchisee save a significant amount of money but it also helps ensure that revenue will start coming in even faster than before. This is why franchised smoothie bars typically report significantly higher rates of success than their non-franchised counterparts.
The shift towards healthier eating is where the health food franchise has come into its own. These are restaurants that serve healthy food, appealing to a healthier lifestyle. Think natural foods, fruit smoothies, acai bowl, raw ingredients, and clean juice – like what we have available at Pure Green.
A health food franchise ownership is a great way to make the most of this shifting trend. And being passionate about healthy food, we are very supportive of these changes! In fact, we are one of the fastest-growing fresh squeezed juices and smoothie companies. With a national presence in over 30 states and an out view of international franchises and global development, we know just how profitable a smoothie bar franchise can be!
Popular Choices for Customers
A great boon when it comes to the smoothie and juice bar franchise, in particular, is the convenience of our product line. Pure Green is known for not only its healthy fruit smoothies but our range of cold pressed juice. We also have a range of healthy food snacks, like acai bowl and MUSH ready-to-eat oats.
Ultimately, it is Pure Green’s menu that has helped set it apart from other smoothie bars and juice bars. Customers like having a wide variety of options to choose from and also like having smoothies and other in-demand products that are made with fresh ingredients. Pure Green takes the quality of its products very seriously. We want to make sure that no matter what location they are visiting, the customer has a great experience and will want to return in the future. Fortunately, the franchise model helps make this possible.
Compared to the traditional fast food franchise, Pure Green is known as a health food franchise. That means it has distinct advantages over the old-fashioned burger brands. Recent trends show that the market is moving towards a healthier lifestyle. People are shunning unhealthy options and are instead looking for healthy food made with fresh ingredients like cold pressed juices. In fact, the global market for fresh squeezed juices alone is expected to reach $1.035 billion US dollars by the end of 2027. Therefore juice franchise ownership is a great way to take advantage of the global shift towards a healthier lifestyle.
Reduce Waste Amount
Another distinct benefit that juice franchise ownership, in the same vein as a smoothie bar, has is our experience in reducing the amount of waste produced. Any small business owner will tell you the significant loss of profit that comes from wasted produce, and a smoothie or juice bar is no different.
Due to the very nature of the product, freshly squeezed juices tend to spoil relatively quickly, especially when made on-site and without pasteurization, like in our clean juice process.
Doing it yourself means you are likely to end up with, you guessed it, lots of fresh ingredients gone to waste.
Of course, you could try to take the easy way out and switch to using non-fresh ingredients. But we know our customers have higher expectations whenever they are visiting a Pure Green franchise location and we take too much pride in our product to ever consider taking the “easy way out.” So in order to minimize waste while still providing the best smoothie bar experience possible, we have developed an intricate network of suppliers that each of our franchise owners can immediately have access to.
Becoming a juice franchise partner is a sure-fire way to reduce waste. You’ll have access to our Pure Green Wholesale market, which will be able to provide you with exactly which (and how much) cold pressed juice and shots your juice bar needs.
Doing so won’t just reduce the amount of waste you produce, but it’ll also make the production process much easier for you!
Smoothie Waste Management
We can also provide invaluable insight into healthy smoothie waste management, starting with the recipes themselves.
Like our fresh squeezed juices, our fruit smoothies and acai bowl have been designed to taste amazing, but they are also made following a specific recipe. That means you’ll know exactly what’s going to them – and how much of each frozen and fresh ingredient you’ll need.
This is yet another benefit we can see from the underlying franchise model: by working with a pre-established menu (which has been carefully tested, crafted, and perfected over time), you can easily estimate what you need, when you’ll need it, and when your ingredients will need to be restocked.
Again, let’s look at the alternative: starting your own smoothie bar from scratch. If you are working entirely on your own, that means you are going to have to develop your own menu, create your own recipes, and also have to carefully analyze the demand for each ingredient. These things are by no means an easy task and if you do decide to avoid the franchise model, you are very likely going to lose a lot of time and money.
HOW TO SELECT THE BEST LOCATION FOR A SMOOTHIE BAR FRANCHISE
Of course, any profitable business owner will already know the importance of location, location, location. Without taking the time to carefully research different locations and understand where smoothies and juice products are most likely to be in demand, you’ll have a much more difficult time achieving your revenue objectives.
In other words, finding the perfect spot for your smoothie shop is critical to ensuring franchisees’ short- and long-term success. Let’s take a closer look at how you can ensure you find the perfect spot to open up your new smoothie bar franchise.
Get an Idea About Your Customers
Any profitable business venture needs customers, and market awareness is vital. Smoothie franchises are great because they already appeal to a wide variety of people. Smoothies are a delicious treat or healthy snack that appeals to a broad customer base, from sports enthusiasts to business professionals and even a mom on the go. The ideal location could be a college town, near a gym, or another recreational area. Here at Pure Green, we are currently opening up new establishments all around the country, and our Pure Green team can help you select the best area for your franchise.
Choosing the Front Side
Now that we’ve got the broader area out of the way, what sort of street should I look for? You want to make sure your smoothie bar is in a place that can not only be easily seen but will also be seen by people who are likely to want to stop in and grab a refreshing smoothie. For this very reason, smoothie franchises typically work best in popular streets or promenades. Think bustling main streets, beachfront avenues, or charming city centers. Here, you are looking for popular walkways with lots and lots of foot traffic. These locations will entice new customers as, really, who wouldn’t want to stop for a mid-stroll smoothie?
For this reason, here at Pure Green, we recommend high-volume locations at street level and easily accessed from the footpath. Based on years of careful market research, we’ve come to realize that these sorts of locations will almost always generate the best results. It creates a convenient and welcoming locale and encourages spontaneous drop-in customers.
Additionally, your smoothie bar needs to have a wide store frontage – that is, the width your smoothie bar takes up on the street. Having a wide store frontage allows potential customers more time to see your shop, stop, and shop. In fact, here at Pure Green, we require that all potential locales have a store frontage width of at least 14 feet. If you are able to find an affordable smoothie bar location that has even more store frontage, that’ll be even better.
Bigger Space Can Serve More Customers
Okay, so now that the storefront is taken care of, what other size requirements will your ultimate smoothie location have? Naturally, the bigger the area, the larger the customer base you will be able to fit in, and the higher your potential profitability will be. It’s also important to consider how the maximum capacity of your location may have been affected by the recent changes in limitations resulting from the Covid-19 situation. Think about the space necessary for your cashier station, shelving, and storage. Consider seating options, both indoors and outdoors as well as the other spaces in the vicinity.
The ideal Pure Green location will be between 500 to 1000 square feet. This will give you enough space for your customers to sit and enjoy their smoothies but, at the same, will still be affordable enough that you can generate a significant profit.
Additional Spaces:
In addition to seating and serving, there are additional space requirements that you may not have considered, namely, storage, restrooms, and delivery areas.
- Storage – Dedicated storage space is necessary for any business that serves food, and Pure Green is no exception. Space will need to be allocated for the storage of both dry goods as well as refrigerated and frozen products. A separate, back-of-house room is ideal; however, it is not always possible to find. Creativity and maximizing space efficiency will be key here. Pure Green, therefore, has created as a part of its business model special storage space built into the typically unused areas behind the menu boards. Our menu boards are fitted with handy hydraulic hinges, allowing the storage of straws, cups, napkins, bags, and other operating essentials.
- Restrooms – Restroom availability is necessary for both customers as well as employees. Each state has different legal requirements when it comes to restroom services, and we recommend checking with your local government body if in doubt.
- Delivery Areas – Due to the ever-increasing popularity of food delivery services, it’s crucial for the profitability of your smoothie franchise to have a dedicated delivery area. Look for a location with a back-of-house pick-up area to minimize customer disturbance.
OPENING A SMOOTHIE BAR FRANCHISE
Opening a smoothie bar franchise doesn’t have to be as hard as you think! Here at Pure Green, we know just what goes into opening a profitable small business – and that’s why we know just what you’ll need to open one too!
We are committed to making the process as stress-free as possible for our smoothie bar franchise owners. That’s why we’re here to help you every step of the way to get your grand opening ready.
Choose the Right Contractor for Decoration
The Pure Green franchise has a tried and true store setup, explicitly designed to maximize your space available to ensure profitability. The Pure Green team will consider your location’s unique characteristics and provide you with the specifications you need for your equipment, fixtures, and furniture requirements.
We know just how much effort goes into the decoration process. That’s why we will work with you and your landlord, architect, and contractor to streamline the store setup process. That’s another huge advantage for opening a smoothie bar franchise over struggling alone.
This is yet another instance where we can see just how beneficial the franchise model really is. If you were starting a smoothie bar or juice bar franchise on your own, you’d need to find all of these people yourself and, furthermore, you’d also have to manage each of these projects yourself. That’s why we are so happy to be here to help!
Find the Right Staff
Another advantage of the smoothie bar franchise is with finding the right staff. Here at Pure Green, we believe in the power of people. Furthermore, we know the benefits of finding a solid staff. The Pure Green team can help you during every step of the staffing process, ensuring a smooth start and successful grand opening.
Training for Staff
And it doesn’t just stop there! Providing proper staff training is crucial for opening any profitable business venture. We’ve opened the Pure Green University, available to all franchise owners, corporate and management staff. The Pure Green University is an integral part of the training program and will provide you with all the necessary details you’ll need to know to get your very own smoothie bar franchise up and running.
These include:
- Instructions for using the Pure Green Point-of-sale system
- In-person training on how to execute every recipe
- Education as to our ethos and the superfoods behind them
- Insights into the hospitality and smoothie bar franchise world
- Store operating procedures
- Food handling protocols
- Equipment operation and sanitation
- Developing marketing strategies and community outreach
- Inventory management and payroll administration
