Franchise Directory

It's good to be king -- even a self proclaimed one. Smoothie King Franchises offers a mix of good nutrition and creamy drinks. The company reigns over a chain of more than 500 franchised smoothie stands that offer blended fruit and juice drinks. Its smoothies are available in more than 50 flavors and can be fortified with dietary supplements. The stores also carry sports drinks, energy bars, supplements, and sports nutrition items. Smoothie King outlets can be found in more than 30 states and South Korea. Founders Steve and Cindy Kuhnau started selling smoothies out of a health food store in 1973 and began franchising their Smoothie King concept in 1989.

Smoothie King is profiting from Americans' growing commitment to physical health. The company added 70 stores last year, giving it a strong ranking of #51 in growth and #83 in system size.

Part of Smoothie King's strength is the care with which it selects its franchisees. The franchise development team looks for candidates who are passionate about healthy living. In fact, the company prefers franchisees to be regular customers of Smoothie King before they ever buy a location. Smoothie King focuses on creating and maintaining strong business systems to support the franchises and give them a firm foundation for success. This approach has paid off, with the company reporting an average growth rate of 27 percent for each of the past four years.

A crucial factor in Smoothie King's high spot in our rankings is its financial strength, which rates at #28. With the economic challenges new entrepreneurs will face, a franchise system's financial stability is now more important than ever.

Third-party financing available