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Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Tropical Smoothie Cafe vs Emerald City Smoothie including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.
Start-Up Costs and Fees |
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Investment | $198,500 - $543,500 | $75,250 - $286,900 |
Franchise Fee | $30,000 | $15,000 - $25,000 |
Royalty Fee | 6% | 6% |
Advertising Fee | 3% | 2% |
Year Founded | 1997 | 2005 |
Year Franchised | 1998 | 2005 |
Term Of Agreement | 15 years | - |
Term Of Agreement | 15 years | - |
Renewal Fee | - | - |
Business Experience Requirements |
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Experience | Hands on management preferred, restaurant experience preferred (but not required), ability to follow a business system, financial capabilities, general business acumen, ability to work well in a team environment, and passion!!! | - |
Financing Options |
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In-House/3rd Party | In-House/3rd Party | |
Franchise Fees | No/Yes | -/- |
Start-up Costs | No/Yes | -/- |
Equipment | No/Yes | -/- |
Inventory | No/Yes | -/- |
Receivables | No/Yes | -/- |
Payroll | No/Yes | -/- |
Training & Support |
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Training | We believe in setting up our franchisees for success. We provide the following training: four-week training program, consisting of two weeks in a nearby Cafe, one week in a classroom setting at our Support Center in Atlanta, Georgia and one week onsite for your Grand Opening. | - |
Support | Newsletter Meetings/Conventions Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Online Support Security/Safety Procedures Field Operations Site Selection Franchisee Intranet Platform | * Use of the Emerald City Smoothie brand and all existing and new marketing materials * Assistance with real estate brokers, site selection, lease negotiation and construction based on best practices learned from over 30 store openings * A turn-key system that includes all architectural design, equipment, shelving, graphics, and signage at a reasonable cost * Extensive ECS Experience training for you and one staff member on drink making, developing a customer community, business management and marketing * Grand opening planning and support * "It's my store" customer involvement program * Peer-to-peer problem and solution sharing with other franchise owners * New drink introductions based on successful pilot programs at other franchises * Web presence for easy store location and product and service pre-selection * Periodic, high-return marketing strategies for pilot testing and implementation * Greater buying power for smoothie and health products as a member of our buying cooperative * Periodic visits to assist with general operations, employee training and to help you fine-tune the ECS experience * Analysis of store sales and performance versus system- wide benchmarks |
Marketing | Co-op Advertising Ad Templates National Media Regional Advertising Social media SEO Website development Email marketing Loyalty program/app | - |
Operations | Tropical Smoothie Cafe has a very simple business operation since we do not utilize any fryers, grills, hooding systems or serve alcohol in the cafe.
Absentee Ownership Allowed Number of Employees Required to Run: 10 - 20 | - |
Expansion Plans |
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US Expansion | Yes | - |
Canada Expansion | No | - |
International Expansion | Yes | - |
Tropical Smoothie Cafe offers genuine natural product smoothies, wraps, sandwiches, flatbreads, and servings of mixed greens. Our more beneficial decisions are what today's customers request and search out. Maybe that is the reason in 2015, the main half of our franchisees had normal gross offers of $806,920*.
Our main goal is to motivate a more beneficial way of life by serving astounding smoothies and nourishment with a touch of tropical fun. On the off chance that you play to win, contribute well and turn into a Tropical Smoothie Cafe Franchise Owner at this point!
If you are looking for a significant franchise opportunity with a low cost of entry and a high upside potential, you may be a great candidate to be an Emerald City Smoothie franchise owner. We've also built our uniqueness beyond the product. We build customer loyalty everyday through: * A personal service philosophy that turns our employees into part of our customer's fitness-support team, which keeps customers coming back, according to the Parker LePla Emerald City Smoothie Customer Study * Supplements for any health goal from weight loss to bulking up * Smoothie recipes that won the "best of" smoothie category in a Seattle poll, featuring a unique blending process that creates a smooth, refreshing, but never-watery, taste * Branding and design that helps draw customers into your stores and makes selection of high-margin add-on products easy. Click here for a virtual tour of one of our world-class locations. * Marketing, training, site selection, and quality control services. Emerald City Smoothie also features all the benefits of franchising including our formula for operating to help avoid many mistakes commonly made by new business owners. Today, one out of every seven dollars spent by Americans for retail goods and services is spent in a franchised or independent product distribution business (source: IFA Franchise Opportunity Guide, p. 31, Fall/Winter 2004). Franchising generates an estimated $1.5 trillion in the U.S. economy annually (source: www.franchise.org/opportunities). The combination of the franchisor's expertise and your hard work create the potential for a strong business. With a franchise, you are in business for yourself, not by yourself!