Tropical Smoothie Café to open at 931 Rainbow Drive in Gadsden
A taste of the beach is coming to Gadsden.
TSC Gadsden LLC is poised to open a Tropical Smoothie Café at 931 Rainbow Drive. The site was formerly occupied by the Flip Side Café and most recently by a Truist bank branch.
The Gadsden City Council on Tuesday approved incentives for the developers: an abatement of 2% of the city’s 5% sales tax proceeds for seven years or $250,000, whichever comes first.
In turn, the developers will spend about $2.6 million renovating the existing structure on the property for the café. That process should take about nine months, according to John Moore, the city’s director of economic development and governmental affairs, who spearheaded the project.
“They contacted the mayor’s office, and John took it and ran with it,” Mayor Craig Ford said.
The restaurant will employ 42 people, according to city officials, and projects annual sales of $1.5 million.
Tropical Smoothie started in 1993 with a single location on the beach in Destin, Florida. Its first franchised restaurant opened in 1998 in Tallahassee, Florida.
There are now 1,235 locations in 45 states, according to the company’s website. (It’s now headquartered in Atlanta.) They’re decorated with a beach motif and feature open kitchens. “We like things fun and playful, sunny and bright,” the company says on its website.
This will be the 22nd Alabama restaurant; the others are in Albertville, Andalusia, Auburn, Birmingham, Cullman, Daphne, Decatur, Dothan, Enterprise, Homewood, Hoover, Hueytown, Huntsville, Madison, Mobile, Montgomery, Opelika, Prattville, Saraland, Trussville and Tuscaloosa.
“When we go out recruiting for restaurants and bars, we’re always looking for things we don’t have,” Moore said.
Tropical Smoothie’s fare is designed to “make eating better easy breezy with fresh, made-to-order smoothies, wraps, sandwiches and flatbreads that instantly boost your mood,” according to the website.
Types of smoothies include Balanced Fusion, Fruit Blends, Super Veggies and Tropical Treats. They feature assorted fruit purées and juices, vegetables and other healthy ingredients like non-fat yogurt. Added supplements like probiotics, protein and vitamins also are available.
There’s an emphasis on chicken on the food menu, with flatbread sandwiches, quesadillas, salads and wraps.
“I think this will be well received in Gadsden,” Moore said.
Ford said there are “multiple” other businesses looking at locating here, adding, “We’re open for business and we’re looking for all kinds of commercial development to upgrade quality of life in Gadsden.”
This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: Tropical Smoothie coming to Gadsden
