Restaurant: Tropical Smoothie Café; Colonial Heights, VA
Started: May 13, 2006
Owner: Joanne Bennett
This month’s Customer Corner interviewee is Joanne Bennett, owner of a Tropical Smoothie Café location in Colonial Heights, Virginia.
Tell us a little about Tropical Smoothie Café.
Tropical Smoothie Café is a healthy alternative to fast food. We offer delicious bistro sandwiches, fresh salads, delicious wraps and flatbreads. And don’t forget those fabulously refreshing all-fruit low fat smoothies! Our menu has recently been updated with lots of exciting new items such as Green Tea Smoothies and Coffee Smoothies, Kid’s Combos and a Signature Salad and dressing. You really do get a taste of the tropics when you eat at our cafe!
What made you decide to open a restaurant?
My husband and I decided to open a Tropical Smoothie Café after our daughter got hooked on their fabulous food and fun environment. She would often grab a smoothie after school with her friends. We decided to check it out, loved the concept and decided to open our own cafe.
What were some of the challenges you faced in your first year of starting your restaurant?
As with any new business, it was difficult the first year to predict customer traffic and learn how to staff efficiently. For example, we knew we would be busy between 11:00 and 2:00 for lunch but really had no idea we’d have so many customers come in between 2:00 and 4:00. We call that our “after school rush”!
Any special guiding principles you adhere to in running your business?
We give back to the community by offering frequent fundraisers where we donate a percentage of sales to the hosting club or organization. We are proud supporters of Camp Sunshine and sponsor National Flip Flop Day to celebrate the beginning of summer each year and to collect donations for a very worthwhile charity. Camp Sunshine provides a get away for terminally ill children and their families.
Any advice for restaurant owners who are thinking of opening a restaurant?
Take your time getting started, choose the right location, have a good advertising plan in place, and believe in the philosophy of your company and the products and services you offer.
How has Campaign Snap, and email marketing in general, helped with marketing for your restaurant? How does it fit in your overall marketing strategy?
Campaign Snap is a large part of our local store marketing and overall marketing strategy. It is a wonderful way to communicate with our customers! Our contact list is growing and growing!
What is the tone of your typical email campaign? (strictly promotional, announcement, newsletter, etc.)
We generally use Campaign Snap to promote new or special items, but we have also used a newsletter format to let our customers know of local or store events that may be of interest.
What other ways do you market yourself, online or otherwise?
We use and love Twitter! What a fast-growing and exciting new venue! I believe our store in Colonial Heights was the first active twitter account and take we pride in the fact that we set the pace for our fellow franchisees. We currently have nearly 250 followers and enjoy tweeting with them all!
Anything else you would like to say about running a restaurant?
These times are challenging, but we believe if you offer a good product with unparalleled hospitality you will succeed. We love our loyal customers, some of who come in daily. We’ve made lots of friends during this journey and wouldn’t trade this experience for the world!
Thank you, Joanne! You can follow Joanne on Twitter @its4jcbennett or @tropicalsmoothi. To check out the menu and find a Tropical Smoothie Café location near you visit http://www.tropicalsmoothiecafe.com.
If you’d like to be interviewed for our Customer Corner series please tell us your story.
{ 1 trackback }
{ 0 comments… add one now }