Tropical Smoothie Cafe® Recognizes 2020 Top-Performing Franchisees

Tropical Smoothie Cafe recently celebrated top performers during its annual franchisee awards ceremony.

The virtual celebration recognized the brand's leading franchisees and their respective crew members who delivered extraordinary performance with recording-breaking results in 2020. Among those recognized were Mike Philip and Rafik Fouad, who were named the Tropical Smoothie Cafe Multi-Unit and Single-Unit Franchisees of the Year, respectively, for their exceptional results and commitment to supporting the Tropical Smoothie Cafe brand.

Tropical Smoothie Cafe celebrated more than 250 franchisees and their cafes during the awards ceremony. Along with recognizing successes across sales, operations, marketing and technology, the company also introduced five new awards honoring the franchisees who best represent the system's core values and vision.

"We were thrilled to recognize the incredible, dedicated franchisees who are the faces of the Tropical Smoothie Cafe brand. The success we saw in 2020, including more $1million AUV cafes than ever before, was nothing short of amazing given all the challenges we faced," said Charles Watson, CEO of Tropical Smoothie Cafe, LLC. "I am humbled to see the excitement of franchisees across the country as we celebrate and congratulate one another on our record-breaking year.

Tropical Smoothie Cafe and its culture are stronger than ever because of the perseverance and passion that our franchise community has for this brand."

The additional 2020 award categories and recipients are as follows:

• Local Store Marketing - DYNE Hospitality Group, Glen Johnson and Nick Crouch; Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma, Texas

• Brand Promise - Bill and Julie Munson; Ohio

• Guest Experience - Ray, Joy, and Andrew Howell; Florida

• Developer of the Year - Roma and Suresh Patel; Ohio

• Emerging Leader - Toya Evans; Maryland

• Difference Maker - DYNE Hospitality Group, Glen Johnson and Nick Crouch; Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma, Texas

• Single-Unit Manager of the Year - Julius Dulce; Virginia

• Multi-Unit Manager of the Year - Jessica Milliken; Michigan

• Rookie of the Year #1 - Dave and Nancy Chapman; Florida

• Rookie of the Year #2 - Marlon Sullivan and Cesar Coronado; Illinois

• Single-Unit Franchisee of the Year - Rafik Fouad; Maryland

• Multi-Unit Franchisee of the Year - Mike Philip; Arkansas

• Relationships Rule - Mike Haines; Georgia

• Think Bigger - Howard Raphael; North Carolina

• All In - Dax Soni; South Carolina

• High Five - Clement Troutman; Maryland

• Inspire Better - Salem Najjar; Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin

Tropical Smoothie Cafe is a healthier, quick-casual restaurant brand with 1,500+ locations in 44 states. One of its key differentiators is what the brand offers on the menu—a product mix of 60% smoothies and 40% food.