Tropical Smoothie Cafe
Refreshing Growth: How a New Website Fueled Tropical Smoothie Cafe’s Expansion
Overview
Tropical Smoothie Cafe transformed its franchise development website to better attract potential franchisees, improving usability, engagement, and lead generation.
The redesign helped drive franchise growth from 870 locations in 2020 to over 1,500 in 2024, solidifying the brand’s industry presence.
INDUSTRIES
Quick-Service Restaurant
Smoothie/Healthy Fast-Casual
Franchising
ROLE
Senior UX/UI Designer
DISCIPLINES
UX / UI
Brand Identity
TIMELINE
2019
TOOLS
Sketch
InVision
Blending a Better Experience
Tropical Smoothie Cafe was on a mission. In 2020, with over 870 locations and a reputation for vibrant smoothies and wholesome food, the brand was growing faster than ever. But their franchise development website? It didn’t match their ambition.
The prior responsive web site wasn’t just outdated, it was missing the mark entirely. Potential franchisees struggled to understand the value of the opportunity. The design lacked user-friendliness, and critical content like testimonials, videos, and statistics felt buried or nonexistent.
For a fast-casual powerhouse with the potential to grow even more, this wasn’t good enough. It was time to shake things up.
Setting the Vision
The goal was clear: create a best-in-class, tech-forward franchise development website.
The new experience needed to:
Drive quality leads through seamless mobile and desktop functionality.
Showcase the value proposition of becoming a Tropical Smoothie Cafe franchisee.
Provide engaging, informative content that brought the brand’s story to life.
From eye-catching layouts to strategic call-to-actions, every element of the redesign would work together to attract talented entrepreneurs passionate about flavorful smoothies and healthy eating.
Reimagining the Experience
To tackle the challenge, I dove into a mix of design and strategy, focusing on every detail that could elevate the site.
My Role:
Conducted a competitive analysis to understand what worked in the industry.
Designed an intuitive UI style guide to ensure consistency across pages.
Built wireframes and high-fidelity prototypes in Sketch, bringing the vision to life.
Presented concepts to clients, gathering feedback and iterating on ideas.
Collaborated with the internal team to refine functionality and content, ensuring everything aligned with the brand’s goals.
Crafting Something Exceptional
The execution was meticulous. High-fidelity mockups were created for both desktop and mobile, with interactive prototypes built in InVision to share with the team and client.
Every iteration refined the user experience:
Clear call-to-actions and strategically placed lead forms made it easy for potential franchisees to take the next step.
Custom photography, testimonials, and videos brought authenticity and vibrancy to the site.
Engaging layouts and data-driven content highlighted Tropical Smoothie Cafe’s incredible growth and potential.
Through collaboration and feedback, the site evolved into a seamless, visually stunning platform that captured the spirit of the brand.
Squeezing Out Results
By 2025, Tropical Smoothie Cafe has expanded to 1,500+ locations, with strongholds in Georgia, Florida, New York, and Wisconsin. Its 45.7% unit growth in three years highlights both customer demand and franchisee appeal.
The franchise development website redesign played a pivotal role in accelerating this success, exceeding expectations with measurable impact:
Increased Franchise Interest: Clear storytelling, intuitive navigation, and strong CTAs boosted qualified leads.
Higher Franchise Rankings: The brand climbed from #18 in 2020 to #13 in 2024 on the Entrepreneur Franchise 500, strengthening its reputation.
Significant Expansion: The site helped fuel growth from 870 locations in 2020 to 1,500+ in 2025, streamlining the franchise lead funnel.
Stronger Brand Perception: A refreshed, professional digital presence attracted serious franchise candidates and reinforced credibility.
By simplifying the user journey and showcasing the brand’s value, the website became a powerful driver of growth, engagement, and conversions, supporting Tropical Smoothie Cafe’s aggressive expansion.
Lessons from the Journey
This project wasn’t just about creating a beautiful website, it was about learning what it takes to deliver results.
Key Takeaways:
Data drives decisions. Regular reviews of Google Analytics helped prioritize efforts, ensuring every choice maximized ROI and improved the user experience.
Teamwork is everything. By leaning into the expertise of each team member, we were able to iterate, refine, and create something truly exceptional.