Smoothie King
Encyclopedia
Smoothie King Franchises Inc. is a smoothie
and health food retailer that caters to a healthy lifestyle through nutritious blended fruit-based drinks. First opening in 1973 as a stand-alone vitamin shop in Kenner, Louisiana
; Smoothie King now encompasses over 600 locations (as of March 2009) and appeals to families and fitness enthusiasts alike. Its headquarters is in Covington, Louisiana
.
. Working as a soda jerk
er in his teenage years, Kuhnau found himself unable to digest the very malts, shakes, and floats he was preparing, due to a lactose intolerance
. Consequently, he formulated the world's first nutritional smoothie in his kitchen, to serve as a healthier, dairy-free alternative to popular ice cream based drinks of the era. His novel drink idea, a blend of fresh fruit coupled with vitamin and protein additives, proved also to be efficacious in treating his allergies and stabilizing his blood-sugar level. This creation was the impetus for an industry: shortly after his first store opened in Kenner, Louisiana 1973, stores began to appear all over the New Orleans Metropolitan area, and subsequently in Washington, D.C. and 32 other contiguous United States. Kuhnau began to franchise the Smoothie King name and business in 1989. http://www.hoovers.com/smoothie-king/--ID__104025--/free-co-factsheet.xhtml Smoothie King's 30 year anniversary, in 2003, was commemorated with their first international franchise, in South Korea. http://www.hoovers.com/smoothie-king/--ID__104025--/free-co-factsheet.xhtml
Smoothie King Franchises, Inc. has agreed with the Amer Group to open at least 20 Smoothie King locations in Egypt and Turkey in the next few years. Smoothie King, ranked the 37th fastest growing franchise and the 57th top global franchise by Entrepreneur magazine in 2009, currently serves smoothies in more than 600 locations of which 550 are in 32 states across the United States and an additional 52 locations are in South Korea.
Top ten Smoothie King flavors (Based on 65 random locations as of March 2006):
1. Caribbean Way
2. Angel Food*
3. The Hulk
4. Strawberry Kiwi Breeze*
5. Muscle Punch
6. Power Punch Plus
7. Pineapple Surf*
8. Strawberry X-Treme (formally Strawberry Dream)
9. Slim-N-Trim
10. The Gladiator (45 grams of protein in 20 ounce smoothie)
11. Light N Fluffy
* Asterisk indicates that 32 ounce smoothie satisfies all 4 daily servings of fruit recommended per USDA guidelines
, and Maui Wowi are Smoothie King's three largest competitors, other competitor is Smoothie Factory, and it competes in the blended beverage industry and on a larger scale special eateries.
Smoothie
A smoothie is a blended and sometimes sweetened beverage made from fresh fruit and in special cases can contain chocolate or peanut butter. In addition to fruit, many smoothies include crushed ice, frozen fruit, honey or contain syrup and ice ingredients...
and health food retailer that caters to a healthy lifestyle through nutritious blended fruit-based drinks. First opening in 1973 as a stand-alone vitamin shop in Kenner, Louisiana
Kenner, Louisiana
Kenner is a city in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States, and a suburb of New Orleans. The population was 66,702 at the 2010 census....
; Smoothie King now encompasses over 600 locations (as of March 2009) and appeals to families and fitness enthusiasts alike. Its headquarters is in Covington, Louisiana
Covington, Louisiana
Covington is a city in and the parish seat of St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 8,483 at the 2000 census. It is located at a fork of the Bogue Falaya and the Tchefuncte River....
.
History
Steve Kuhnau, founder of Smoothie King, is sometimes credited with the creation of the SmoothieSmoothie
A smoothie is a blended and sometimes sweetened beverage made from fresh fruit and in special cases can contain chocolate or peanut butter. In addition to fruit, many smoothies include crushed ice, frozen fruit, honey or contain syrup and ice ingredients...
. Working as a soda jerk
Soda jerk
A soda jerk was a person — typically a youth — who operated the soda fountain in a drugstore, often for the purpose of preparing and serving ice cream soda. This was made by putting flavored syrup into a specially designed tall glass, adding carbonated water and, finally, one or two scoops of ice...
er in his teenage years, Kuhnau found himself unable to digest the very malts, shakes, and floats he was preparing, due to a lactose intolerance
Lactose intolerance
Lactose intolerance, also called lactase deficiency or hypolactasia, is the inability to digest and metabolize lactose, a sugar found in milk...
. Consequently, he formulated the world's first nutritional smoothie in his kitchen, to serve as a healthier, dairy-free alternative to popular ice cream based drinks of the era. His novel drink idea, a blend of fresh fruit coupled with vitamin and protein additives, proved also to be efficacious in treating his allergies and stabilizing his blood-sugar level. This creation was the impetus for an industry: shortly after his first store opened in Kenner, Louisiana 1973, stores began to appear all over the New Orleans Metropolitan area, and subsequently in Washington, D.C. and 32 other contiguous United States. Kuhnau began to franchise the Smoothie King name and business in 1989. http://www.hoovers.com/smoothie-king/--ID__104025--/free-co-factsheet.xhtml Smoothie King's 30 year anniversary, in 2003, was commemorated with their first international franchise, in South Korea. http://www.hoovers.com/smoothie-king/--ID__104025--/free-co-factsheet.xhtml
Smoothie King Franchises, Inc. has agreed with the Amer Group to open at least 20 Smoothie King locations in Egypt and Turkey in the next few years. Smoothie King, ranked the 37th fastest growing franchise and the 57th top global franchise by Entrepreneur magazine in 2009, currently serves smoothies in more than 600 locations of which 550 are in 32 states across the United States and an additional 52 locations are in South Korea.
Menu and nutritional information
Smoothie King's menu comprises 74 (92 as of May 2011) different smoothies.Top ten Smoothie King flavors (Based on 65 random locations as of March 2006):
1. Caribbean Way
2. Angel Food*
3. The Hulk
4. Strawberry Kiwi Breeze*
5. Muscle Punch
6. Power Punch Plus
7. Pineapple Surf*
8. Strawberry X-Treme (formally Strawberry Dream)
9. Slim-N-Trim
10. The Gladiator (45 grams of protein in 20 ounce smoothie)
11. Light N Fluffy
Competitors
American Dairy Queen, Jamba JuiceJamba Juice
Jamba Juice is a chain of smoothie restaurants, headquartered in Emeryville, California, with over 700 locations operating in 30 states, the Bahamas, Canada, Korea, and the Philippines. Over 500 locations are company-owned, with the remainder being franchised...
, and Maui Wowi are Smoothie King's three largest competitors, other competitor is Smoothie Factory, and it competes in the blended beverage industry and on a larger scale special eateries.