While they were given a downtown Hamilton territory for a Tropical Smoothie location by the corporate offices, it was not conducive to the needs of the franchise, said Nirav Patel. They hoped to also get the Fairfield Twp. territory, but someone else were given those rights, until they backed out. That’s when the Patels received additional territory rights.
Then they couldn’t find a location right for their franchise, so Nirav Patel built a five-unit strip plaza on Joseph Drive just east of Menards in the Bridgewater Falls area of the township.
“Luckily, we got it,” Nirav Patel said of the franchise, “and it was hard to find the spot, so what we did was decide to build our own strip center so we could have a Tropical Smoothie Cafe.”
The application to be a franchisee was made in November 2020, and it took three years to get the strip plaza open, Nirav Patel said.
The Patels wanted to invest in Tropical Smoothie because it’s “one of the fastest-growing franchises right now.”
Tropical Smoothie Cafe, which is based in Atlanta, continued to see growth in the first three quarters of 2023 as it did in 2022. There are more than 1,330 Tropical Smoothie Cafe locations across the United States, including a couple in Butler County. Tropical Smoothie saw 158 franchise locations open in 2022, and 141 opened in the first nine months of 2023.
The Fairfield Twp. Tropical Smoothie Cafe grand opening is today through Sunday, with perks and giveaways.
A few weeks before Tropical Smoothie Cafe opened, the state’s third and the region’s first Teriyaki Madness opened in the same Fairfield Twp. plaza.
While Shilpa Patel is the franchise owner of Tropical Smoothie, Nirav Patel owns multiple Dairy Queen franchise locations, including in Liberty Twp. and Fairfield.
The long-term plan for the couple is for any opportunities, including additional Tropical Smoothie Cafe franchises. The immediate need is to fill the plaza, which has three available units.
“We have so many interests from big, national tenants but everyone wants to open last year, and I was under construction,” he said. Now that they’re open, there are new inquiries.
Tropical Smoothie Cafe on Joseph Drive is open seven days a week with a drive-thru. They’ll operate 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturdays and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sundays.
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