If you’d be interested in speaking with Charles Watson, CEO of Tropical Smoothie Café, to discuss how he’s quickly pivoted his business model over the last few weeks, how his business is adapting to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as his opinion on what’s next for the restaurant industry overall, then you’re in luck! Tropical Smoothie Cafe is a national fast-casual cafe concept inspiring a healthier lifestyle with more than 830 locations nationwide.
Over the last few weeks, Watson and his team came together quickly to implement a two-prong approach to the crisis – the first being a pledge to donate 100,000 smoothies across the country to our first responders and hospital workers, and the second, making quick changes for his franchisees and employees across the country. His “franchisee-first” culture emphasizes transparency and trust and has enabled him and his team to move incredibly fast launching new initiatives to drive traffic, as well as quickly work through any issues that have arisen.
If you would like to help give back to those on the frontline of this pandemic, click here to find a Tropical Smoothie Cafe near you.
Here’s a quick snapshot of some changes he’s made so far for his franchisees:
- Decreased royalties by 50%, (from 6% to 3%)
- He has deployed hyper-local marketing strategies to drive business within a 1-2 mile radius of cafes
- Paused any projects that create any additional costs
- He is paying for support mechanism for each franchise location, including as technology helpdesk, voice of the consumer, back-office systems
Do you have any interest in connecting with Charles?
CONTACT: NICOLE MILAZZO, 212.999.5585, nmilazzo@5wpr.com
