Ambitious Growth Drives Planet Smoothie Franchise Owners in Tampa
Popularity of smoothies allows the ownership group to look at aggressive future expansion opportunities
Many business owners launch a concept and build it up, while others capitalize on a well-known brand and grow it to even more prominence in the market. That’s been the case with Planet Smoothie™ franchise owner Murtaza Choilawala and his partners, who continue to expand their footprint across the Tampa, Fla., area.
“We purchased a Planet Smoothie that was operating in 2012, and then a year later we were able to acquire another one,” says Murtaza, who is also a computer programmer. “And then we purchased another and now are finally venturing into building a new store from the ground up. We felt that this was a good business for people who had never worked in the restaurant area [his partners are a pharmacist and industrial engineer, respectively] and we saw how well [Area Developer] Jason Mann was doing in Orlando and felt we had the potential to replicate that here.”
Knowing the area provides benefits
The new Planet Smoothie franchise will be in a plaza anchored by a Publix grocery store, and should see a steady stream of foot traffic all day and evening, Murtaza says, adding that living in the community has enhanced his ability to grow a chain of Planet Smoothie locations in a short time.
“It’s a booming part of Tampa, with a lot under construction, and I am familiar with the traffic patterns already,” he says. “The site we’re building out is a little smaller than our other locations, but the site is terrific, so we worked with the design team to scale it down a little bit. It’s really valuable that we can customize our footprint in order to get into a prime location.”
Ease of operations is another major plus
From the outset, Murtaza says he has been impressed with how easily a Planet Smoothie franchise can be operated compared to other food-service brands.
“If you own a restaurant, you’re in there very early to begin the prep work, and we have none of that,” he explains. “. Planet Smoothie offers a great product with mass appeal, and can meet most any customer’s demand. We have built on that team, and now have a really awesome operation that is continuing to grow along with the city. We’re excited to see where Planet Smoothie takes us.”
Planet Smoothie is a smoothie franchise that sets itself apart by offering great-tasting smoothies that use healthier, natural ingredients. In a side-by-side comparison, our smoothies generally have less sugar and fewer calories — a big competitive advantage as Americans actively seek out healthier options. Planet Smoothie is led by a veteran franchise team and dedicated brand support team as part of the Kahala Brands™ family.
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