Smoothie King

Smoothie King is a smoothie food retailer that caters blended fruit-based drinks. First opening in 1973 as a stand-alone vitamin shop in Kenner, Louisiana; Smoothie King now encompasses over 600 locations.

History
Working as a soda jerker in his teenage years, Steve Kuhnau, founder of Smoothie King, found himself unable to digest the very malts, shakes, and floats he was preparing, due to a lactose intolerance. Consequently, he formulated the world's first nutritional smoothie in his kitchen, to serve as a healthier, dairy-free alternative to popular ice cream based drinks of the era. His novel drink idea, a blend of fresh fruit coupled with vitamin and protein additives, proved also to be efficacious in treating his allergies and stabilizing his blood sugar level. This creation was the impetus for an industry: shortly after his first store opened in Kenner, Louisiana 1973, other stores were opened all over the New Orleans metropolitan area, and subsequently in Washington, D.C. and 32 other states. Kuhnau began to franchise the Smoothie King name and business in 1989. Smoothie King's 30 year anniversary, in 2003, was commemorated with their first international franchise, in South Korea. 

In July 2012, Steve and Cindy Kuhnau sold the company to Wan Kim, Smoothie King's franchisee in South Korea, where the chain had grown to 130 stores. Kim said he had raised $58 million in capital from Standard Charter Private Equity and National Pension Fund. In November, the company announced that it would move its headquarters from Covington, Louisiana to Metairie, in Jefferson Parish, near the company's first store in Kenner. The company cited a $2.4 million promised incentive from the Louisiana Department of Economic Development for its decision to stay in the state.

Menu and nutritional information
Smoothie King's menu comprises 74 (92 as of May 2011) different smoothies. Top ten Smoothie King flavors (Based on 65 random locations as of March 2006):

1. Caribbean Way 2. Angel Food* 3. The Hulk 4. Strawberry Kiwi Breeze* 5. Muscle Punch 6. Power Punch Plus 7. Pineapple Surf* 8. Strawberry X-Treme (formally Strawberry Dream) 9. Slim-N-Trim 10. The Gladiator (45 grams of protein in 20 ounce smoothie) 11. Light N Fluffy

* Asterisk indicates that 32 ounce smoothie satisfies all 4 daily servings of fruit recommended per USDA guidelines

Competitors
American Dairy Queen, Jamba Juice, and Maui Wowi are Smoothie King's three largest competitors; another competitor is Smoothie Factory, and it competes in the blended beverage industry and on a larger scale special eateries.

Acclaim
Since 1989, Smoothie King has been named #1 franchise in their category 17 times by Entrepreneur Magazine. At the end of 2006, Smoothie King posted over 415 locations operating in 32 states. Despite the global economic downturn of 2009, Smoothie King, the originator of the nutritional, fruit-based smoothie, announced recent new store openings have allowed the company to surpass 600 locations worldwide. This is another key milestone met by the new Smoothie King management team.

Sponsorships
On February 5, 2014, the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association announced that they had reached a 10-year sponsorship agreement to rename the New Orleans Arena as Smoothie King Center. The arena had been one of only three NBA arenas without a naming rights sponsor. Smoothie King owner Wan Kim said the deal would allow the company to show its commitment to New Orleans while also promoting its brand worldwide.