Tropical Smoothie Cafe is planting dozens of new flags across the Northeast, with a freshly signed 40-unit franchise development deal that will bring the smoothie chain into Albany, Westchester County, the Bronx and Western Connecticut. The franchisee behind the buildout, Aurify Kingstar, expects to open its first location under the agreement in early 2027.
The deal was announced Monday, according to a Tropical Smoothie Cafe news release, which frames the expansion as part of the chain's broader push into new markets. Max Wetzel, CEO of Tropical Smoothie Cafe, LLC, said New York and Connecticut represent major growth opportunities for the brand, and the company says it prioritizes developers with market knowledge, established infrastructure and the ability to scale across multiple units.
Aurify Kingstar is a multi-brand restaurant investment and operating company headquartered in New York City that has developed, operated or acquired more than 300 restaurants, per the same release. Its development efforts are spearheaded by Andy Stern, John Rigos and Jeremy Tannenbaum, and the team brings more than 25 years of experience building and operating restaurant concepts. Rigos and Stern co-founded the company, which counts franchise brands like Five Guys, Wingstop and Le Pain Quotidien alongside proprietary concepts Happy Monkey by Jean-Georges, Melt Shop and Little Beet in its portfolio.
Why Aurify Kingstar Picked Smoothies
Jeremy Tannenbaum said he sees an opportunity to build out Tropical Smoothie Cafe's Northeast presence while fostering community connections in the newly targeted markets, the release states. Aurify Kingstar identified Tropical Smoothie Cafe as a fit for its portfolio based on the brand's established system, consumer demand, available development whitespace and nationwide growth trajectory.
Born on a beach in Destin, Florida, in 1997, Tropical Smoothie Cafe opened its first franchised location the following year, according to the brand's franchise development site. The Atlanta-based chain has since grown to nearly 1,800 locations across 44 states, with more than 1,750 cafes currently open and a pipeline the company says is on track to deliver its 1,800th store by the end of this year.
A Chain on a Growth Tear
Tropical Smoothie Cafe has also been named one of USA TODAY's 10Best Restaurants for Quick, Healthy Food and has appeared on Technomic's Top 500 list of leading restaurant chains. The company was ranked the No. 1 Smoothie/Juice franchise in Entrepreneur's 2026 Franchise 500 for the sixth consecutive year, a distinction reported in an earlier company announcement about its executive hires.
That release detailed the arrival of Joe Sieve, who joined Tropical Smoothie Cafe on July 27 as Chief Development & Growth Officer ahead of Cheryl Fletcher's planned retirement at the end of August, and who now leads the company's development strategy and growth initiatives. Sieve previously served as Chief Operations & Global Development Officer at Papa Johns. A Tropical Smoothie Cafe August release said the company had just opened its 1,750th cafe across 44 states. Entrepreneur cited QSR figures for 1,700 cafes opened in April and more than 900 pipeline commitments, according to Entrepreneur.
Loyalty and Brand Awareness Climbing
The expansion push comes as Tropical Smoothie Cafe touts rising customer engagement. CNBC reported that the chain's loyalty program has grown to 13 million members, up 25% from the year-ago period, with about one in three orders now coming from a loyalty member. Entrepreneur, however, reported the loyalty membership figure differently, citing a climb of 25% to 12 million members — a discrepancy the available reporting does not explain.```CNBC also reported that national brand awareness rose from 34% of consumers a year ago to 42%, according to Wetzel, and noted that about 85% of the chain's transactions include a smoothie even though the fruity drinks account for roughly half of total sales. First-quarter sales grew 10% year over year, per Entrepreneur's reporting, and CNBC reported the company is projecting it will exceed 1,800 locations nationwide by the end of the year.
Not the Only Chain Eyeing New York
Tropical Smoothie Cafe is hardly alone in targeting the region for growth. Krispy Kreme recently announced its own franchise development agreement, this one with Original Entrepreneurs, to open 33 shops across the New York metro area over the next five years, covering New York City and the surrounding region including Long Island and New Jersey, according to a Yahoo Finance report. Original Entrepreneurs already operates 12 Krispy Kreme shops and is described as a long-time franchisee with quick-service restaurant experience.
Rival chain Smoothie King has also been pushing into new Northeast and Midwest territory, reporting 85% growth across those markets over the last five years and opening its first Penfield, New York, location as part of a three-unit development deal, according to a Smoothie King announcement. CNBC's reporting characterized Tropical Smoothie Cafe as larger than its older rival based on system sales and restaurant count, underscoring the competitive jockeying now playing out across the region's fast-casual landscape.
