---
title: "Restaurant Franchise Insights"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/ef88e390-80ad-47a9-80f0-a6981d829780
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/awesome-restaurant-franchise-issue-smoothie-king-togos-pita-pit-2704680
category: "Restaurants"
industry: "Restaurants"
published: 2017-11-08T13:08:01.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T04:11:26.423Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/0b73f2add98ae287eadb9951ee27426b1198.jpg
---

# Restaurant Franchise Insights

**TL;DR:** Smoothie King has eliminated sugar from over 50 smoothies and removed artificial ingredients as part of its "Cleaner Blending" initiative. The brand is expected to have over 900 locations by the end of the year, driven by its focus on health and franchise growth.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2017-11-08. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/awesome-restaurant-franchise-issue-smoothie-king-togos-pita-pit-2704680).*

## Story

**Why the brand is awesome:** Health is not something new to Smoothie King, which has always promoted blends of fruit, veggies, protein and ice as a meal alternative. This focus on health has allowed for incredible franchise growth, allowing for a projected 900 or more locations by the end of the year. While Smoothie King was ahead of the game on their focus on health, consumers are now catching up to them with a focus of their own.

Smoothie King has recently moved towards “Cleaner Blending,” eliminating sugar from more than 50 smoothies and moving artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, hormones and GMO fruits and veggies from their ingredients. Ultimately, the shift towards a more transparent menu provides an offering for franchisees that is few and far between in the food segment, and gives them a platform to stand on.

**Why the brand is awesome:** Togo’s recognized that demand in the sandwich segment of the restaurant industry is on the rise and has managed to capitalize on this popularity. The 45-year-old West Coast-based chain has continuously raised the bar since its founding, whether that is in its product or its customer service, and all aspects of its operation. And now while the sandwich segment is hot, Togo’s has become a go-to for customers looking to completely customize their sandwiches including meat piled high and fresh toppings.

The franchise opportunity comes with 300 restaurants either open or under development, and the model has proven success in different areas across the West Coast. Franchisees who join the system have an unparalleled opportunity to open one or multiple locations in their desired market, with proven brand recognition surrounding them.

**Why the brand is awesome:** Pita Pit was founded in Kingston, Ontario on a college campus by Nelson Lang. Lang had previous experience with a pizza concept, but realized the pizza segment was crowded and people were looking for something different. Just over two decades since its founding, the brand has grown at a rapid rate to span over 13 countries with over 600 global locations.

When the brand started, the company’s core demographic consisted of 19-22 year olds. Now, the demographic is growing with a fine-tuned focus on healthier options in the on-the-go segment. There is a much bigger consumer within the business world and consumers stopping in for a healthier lunch option. At the rate of growth Pita Pit is currently seeing, the brand is on pace to hit 1,000 units within the next few years through strong operators and multi-unit owners.

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- Restaurants (sector)
- unit expansion (topic)
- franchise growth (topic)
- Smoothie King (company)
- TOGO'S (company)
- menu transparency (topic)
- health focus (topic)
- cleaner blending (topic)

---
Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/awesome-restaurant-franchise-issue-smoothie-king-togos-pita-pit-2704680). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/ef88e390-80ad-47a9-80f0-a6981d829780).