Meet Jimil Patel, Tennessee’s First Planet Smoothie Franchise Owner
Seeing a need and capitalizing on it has brought this entrepreneur success in the Chattanooga area, so he is eager to introduce the Planet Smoothie brand
Bringing a Planet Smoothie franchise into a market where there’s already plenty of competition on the ground is a challenge. Still, a bigger, better menu full of more smoothies and add-ins means that Planet Smoothie hits the ground running and does well, and that’s why Jimil Patel wanted to bring the concept to East Brainerd, a bustling community in Chattanooga.
“I had looked at another brand, because the franchise owner wanted to sell the location,” says Jimil, who owns and operates several convenience store/gas station combos in the area. “He ended up not selling, but it gave me the chance to look at the smoothie business. I wanted to diversify my holdings, and so I was interested. But then I began comparing other concepts to Planet Smoothie, and Planet Smoothie had a much stronger appeal.”
Market has room for brand introduction
Bringing the first Planet Smoothie franchise to town is “scary,” Jimil admits, but his research showed him how strong — and still growing — the smoothie industry is, and also how different Planet Smoothie is within that space.
“The ingredients every Planet Smoothie franchise uses, and the menu choices, are much broader than other brands,” he says. “I also was very encouraged to learn how much time and energy Planet Smoothie puts into product research and development. I know how important it is to keep refreshing and adding to a menu, or people will go somewhere else. I know we won’t have that problem.”
“People are pursuing healthy living,” he adds, “so we’re going to target people who choose that lifestyle. I think we can show them that we don’t just have great-tasting products, but that they have ingredients that are good for your body.”
Business model is easy to manage
As he gears up for a late-summer opening, Jimil says he’s also struck by the simplicity of the Planet Smoothie franchise model, as well as all the assistance he’s gotten along the journey from discovery day to site selection and buildout from the team at Kahala Brands.
“I wanted to explore a new opportunity, because the gas-station market is really getting saturated here,” Jimil says. “Planet Smoothie is much simpler to run. I am eager to get our doors open so we can begin to do some marketing and the footwork necessary to build brand awareness!”
After that, he says, he’s looking at additional locations in the surrounding Chattanooga areas.
“I believe that we can do well in the four main, busy areas of the city,” Jimil says. “But my goal is to get this first one opened and doing well right now. I’m in great hands with the Kahala Brands team, and I believe we are going to do very well as partners and grow the Planet Smoothie franchise footprint in Chattanooga.”\
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
Learn more about Planet Smoothie
To learn more about Planet Smoothie franchise options, please visit our website. Read the latest news on our blog, and delve into the options for ownership on our research pages.