“You know how a lot of mall smoothie places also have frozen hot chocolate?” Johnson says, “I have a 1920s electric refrigerator cookbook that talks about frozen hot chocolate. I think the thing about smoothies is that they became considered [probably] more healthful than milkshakes, even though nutritionally, they’re basically milkshakes [because of] their sugar content.”Smoothie King just opened its 1,000th store last August—a standalone, brick-and-mortar location in Richardson, Texas. Ranking number 22 on Entrepreneur’s Fortune 500 list, it’s the most successful smoothie franchise, started in 1973 by former soda jerk Steve Kuhnau. He founded Smoothie King in Kenner, Louisiana after being unable to digest the milk in malts and shakes.In spite of its number-one status, many of the chain’s mall locations are also accompanied by “CLOSED” next to the listing. “For Smoothie King, mall food court locations are currently not as big of a focus area as they once were,” says Smoothie King CMO Rebecca Miller. “However, they are a great way to introduce our brand to new audiences. It is easier to try a new restaurant when you walk by it, see the menu, and get a feel for it without the commitment of having to park your car and walk into a freestanding location.”“If I'm honest with myself, I only really like those trashy smoothies that are basically candy. As a teen, I definitely was the one who would go to Jamba and get the peanut butter chocolate smoothie, which was basically a shake."
“Having a smoothie place being a co-tenant to a fitness-oriented development is a wise move,” Jaggi tells MUNCHIES. “Is a mall the only option? The mall is a great option, but today you’re seeing more developers thinking about putting health-oriented shopping centers together where you have a fitness center, you may have a yoga center, and a chiropractic center.”In urban areas, places with sleek, lounge-y atmospheres like Joe & the Juice and Pressed Juicery have taken root in retail spaces, offering amped-up, on-trend beverages with ingredients like spirulina, maple water, turmeric, and sea salt. Those drinks are representative of the perfectly optimized lifestyle fuel that we now want our snacks to be—but it kind of makes me miss the Jamaican Jammer.