America’s favorite tropical getaway is about to have three wonderful new locations in the greater Chicago area.
Tropical Smoothie Cafe is a popular restaurant franchise that specializes in mouthwatering fruit smoothies as well as wraps, flat breads, salads and bowls. Founded in Destin, Florida in 1997 the chain has since expanded to one of the biggest smoothie franchises in the country and is currently headquartered in Atlanta. Today, the brand currently operates over a thousand different locations across the US, thanks to their streamlined franchising process.
Now, two Chicago entrepreneurs are bringing the cafe closer to your neighborhood than ever before. Marlon Sullivan and his business partner Cesar Coronado are currently in the process of bringing three new cafes to the city. The two already operate two cafes at the moment, one on North Lincoln Avenue and the other across from Loyola University. While one of the new locations is still in lease negotiation, the other two will be opening up at 3451 West Devon Avenue and 3621 Northwestern Avenue, respectively.
Excitingly, the West Devon location will be Chicago’s first ever Tropical Smoothie to feature a drive thru, and will also feature a picnic area for outdoor dining that will accommodate an additional 20 guests beyond the 40 guests that can be accommodated inside. The Northwestern Avenue location will be located closer to the center of the city, and will open across the street from Lane Tech College Prep High School.
Cesar and Marlon are strongly community-oriented and are dedicated to making sure that their new cafes benefit the neighboring communities. During the pandemic, they donated hundreds of smoothies to hardworking frontline workers, and made a substantial smoothie donation to Talen Horton-Tucker’s youth basketball camp. For their newest locations, Marlon and Cesar are set on hiring locally, and are expected to employ about 50 employees between the two cafes. The two cafes are currently scheduled to open summer 2022. For more information about franchising opportunities with Tropical Smoothie Cafe, you can visit their website for further details.
