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Leading Smoothie, Açai Bowl and Raw Juice Chain Steepens Growth Trajectory and Increases Nontraditional Store Count with Recent Openings in California and Arizona
Irvine, CA (RestaurantNews.com) Juice It Up!, one of the nation’s leading açai bowl, handcrafted smoothie and raw juice chains for over 30 years, is thoughtfully investing in nontraditional growth opportunities. With a flexible footprint and streamlined operating model that accommodates a range of spaces, the brand is expanding access to its popular menu through travel centers, university campuses, convenience stores, military bases and other high-traffic venues. With many new locations under consideration and others already in development, including a planned location at one of the largest Air Force bases in California, Juice It Up! is leveraging a model designed for compact footprints, efficient preparation and a range of guest occasions.
Juice It Up!’s continued expansion in nontraditional settings is reflected in two recent openings. In September, the brand opened a new location in Visalia, California, through its longstanding partnership with Fresh Fill, a convenience-store operator that has worked with Juice It Up! for nearly a decade. What began with a single location in Los Banos has since grown to three locations across Central California. Additionally, Juice It Up! opened a new travel center location in Kingman, Arizona, this month, further extending the brand’s presence along key travel routes and demonstrating the flexibility of its model in reaching guests beyond traditional restaurant settings.
“Complementing more than 100 conventional Juice It Up! locations with the development of nontraditional stores is critical to how we’re continuing to grow Juice It Up! and make the brand more accessible,” said Silvio Morales, Director of Franchise Development at Juice It Up!. “Our experience across universities, travel centers and entertainment venues demonstrates how seamlessly Juice It Up! fits in new settings, and we will continue to explore other unique opportunities that make sense for the brand, appeal to our franchise partners and allow us to reach more guests.”
Nontraditional development has played a significant role in Juice It Up! expansion for many years. Juice It Up! maintains six travel and convenience locations throughout California and Arizona, plus a well-trafficked stand at Angel Stadium during the Major League Baseball season. The brand also operates four university locations on California State University campuses, including two at Cal State Fullerton, where enrollment is approaching 50,000 students. Several university locations have served their campus communities for more than 20 years. The unconventional, and somewhat unexpected, locations allow Juice It Up! to connect with guests during a variety of everyday occasions. From grabbing a smoothie between classes to picking up a refreshing option on a long road trip or enjoying a bowl at a ballgame, the brand continues to ensure its “Live Life Juiced” motto and acclaimed menu are widespread and easily available.
A key advantage of nontraditional development is Juice It Up!’s ability to adapt its operating model to a range of spaces and guest occasions. With a menu centered on smoothies, fresh juices and superfruit bowls, the brand can function in compact footprints without the need for traditional kitchen infrastructure such as hood lines or deep fryers. In travel centers, for example, a streamlined menu and efficient preparation process help guests order quickly and get back on the road. The nontraditional development model also creates opportunities to bring flavorful, better-for-you options to guests in settings where these choices may be more limited. On campuses and at entertainment venues, the model provides opportunities to serve guests throughout the day and during peak periods.
“Ultimately, our goal is to meet guests where they are,” said Susan Taylor, CEO & President of Juice It Up!. “Whether they’re on campus, traveling, attending a game or going about their day, we want to make it easy for them to enjoy Juice It Up!, and nontraditional locations give us a wide variety of unique opportunities to introduce the brand to more guests and create new occasions for them to come back.”
Juice It Up! is currently evaluating more opportunities across airports, travel centers, universities, convenience and fresh-market retailers, entertainment venues, stadiums, military bases and other institutional settings. The brand is focused on continued growth throughout the Western and Southwestern United States, including California, Arizona, Texas, Utah, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Colorado and Oregon where unique opportunities will complement traditional restaurant development projects and provide additional pathways for franchise partners to grow with the brand.
For more information about Juice It Up!, including franchising opportunities, visit JuiceItUp.com.
About Juice It Up!
Juice It Up!, one of the nation’s leading açai bowl, handcrafted smoothie and raw juice chains, was founded in 1995 with its Franchise Support Center located in Irvine, California. Juice It Up!’s menu is designed with flavor and functionality in mind, resulting in products that not only taste great, but also support an active lifestyle. With nearly 130 locations open and under development across California, Arizona, New Mexico, Oregon, Oklahoma, Nevada, Utah and Texas, the company boasts an attractive and modern store design, strong digital ordering technology, a focus on functional products and ingredient transparency and a menu that reflects the brand’s active personality and motto to “Live Life Juiced!” In addition to its existing territories throughout the Western United States, Juice It Up! is seeking expansion in Colorado. For more information about becoming a Juice It Up! franchise partner, visit JuiceItUpFranchise.com.
Juice It Up! Social Media Pages
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/juiceitup/
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/juiceitup/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/juiceituphq/
Juice It Up! Media Contact:
Kristyna Otto
Powerhouse+Co.
kristyna@powerhouseandco.com
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