Tropical Smoothie began as a smoothie shop in 1993 along the panhandle of Florida. Tropical Smoothie Franchise Development Corporation was founded in 1997 in
Destin, Florida, and the first franchised store opened in 1998 in
Tallahassee, Florida. Tropical Smoothie Cafe is currently headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. In 1999, they introduced a line of food items including sandwiches and wraps. As more locations opened, the individual Cafes redesigned their store decor to offer a beach house theme with bright white walls, an open kitchen concept, vibrant colors, and tropical artwork. In 2006, Tropical Smoothie Cafe opened their 200th store in
Virginia Beach, Virginia. They opened their 800th location in
Arlington Heights, Illinois, in 2019. The founders and original owners, Eric and Delora Jenrich and David Walker, came from franchise backgrounds and used that knowledge to grow Tropical Smoothie Cafe. As they grew, they recruited others from the food industry. In 2012, private equity firm Buckhead Investment Partners (BIP) bought a controlling interest in Tropical Smoothie Cafe. Eric Jenrich and David Walker remained on the board of directors, and former
Chief Operating Officer Mike Rotondo was promoted to replace Jenrich as chief executive officer in 2012 until his departure in 2018. BIP partner Scott Pressly, who was a financial and strategic adviser to the chain since 2007 served as the chairman until 2020. The brand was acquired by private equity firm Levine Leichtman Capital Partners (LLCP) in September 2020. Charles Watson is the chief executive officer. Between 2019 and 2021, the company was the
title sponsor of the
Frisco Bowl. ==Menu==