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1. It’s the first Smoothie King of its kind in the area
Guests can drive right up to the new 1,500-square-foot Smoothie King double order stations and pick up their order from a single pick-up window, according to Mario Nocero, senior vice president of operations for Mason-based Smoothie King franchisee SK Midwest.
The new location is the first one in the area to be a standalone, drive-thru restaurant, Nocero said. That convenience will attract customers and help this and other planned standalone Smoothie Kings penetrate the market faster, he said.
For those who want to sip a smoothie inside, there’s seating for approximately 25 guests.
2. There are at least 15 more on the way
Nocero said he plans to open as many as five standalone Smoothie Kings by the end of this year, with another 11 of the juice bars to open in the five years thereafter. They would complement the more than one dozen existing Smoothie King locations owned by other franchisees at strip centers and shopping malls.
“We want to be in the entire Cincinnati market,” Nocero said. “We believe Cincinnati can handle a 16-store penetration. We’re comfortable with that, and obviously, if there’s a greater demand, we would love to have more.”
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3. Free smoothies this month at the new location
The new Fairfield location is allowing guests the opportunity to get a free small, 20-ounce smoothie by texting “SKFREE” to 91681 through Jan. 31. Smoothies cost $5.50 for the small 20-ounce size, $7.50 for a medium 32-ounce size and $8.99 for a large 40-ounce size.
In February, those who text “SKDollar” to 91681 will get a smoothie for $1.
4. The new locations will create 320 jobs in the region
Each location will have approximately 20 employees — 19 regular staffers and one general manager. Although the company already has those positions filled for the Fairfield location, job application are still being accepted. For more information, call 513-829-0824 or click here.
Hours of the new location are 7 a.m to 9 p.m. Mondays to Fridays, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sundays.
5. Smoothie King has a national AND international presence of nearly 1,000 locations.
Louisiana-based Smoothie King Franchises Inc. has 944 locations in the United States, the Cayman Islands, Singapore and South Korea, Nocero said. SK Midwest opened the 900th location in Wappingers Falls, N.Y., in July 2017. The other SK Midwest location is in Jensen Beach, Fla.
Besides smoothies, Smoothie King also offers energy bars, vitamin supplements and sports beverages.
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