Dive Brief:

• Smoothie King added six Smoothie Bowls to its menu across its national footprint of 1,100-plus locations, the company announced Tuesday. 
• Guests can access these menu items starting Tuesday by ordering through the Smoothie King app. The items will be available nationwide across all channels beginning Thursday.
• Smoothie King accelerated development last year, signing franchise and area development agreements to add 160 stores to new and existing markets. The company expects to open over 100 stores in 2023.

Dive Insight:

These bowls mark the first time Smoothie King has added a new category outside of smoothies to its products. Each bowl starts with acai or pitaya (commonly known as dragon fruit) and there are six different topping combination options. The bowls should be easy to implement, as a bulk of these ingredients are already part of the brand’s smoothies. 

Adding bowls could help create differentiation for the growing chain, which opened over 70 units last year, especially as other health-food-focused brands expand their territories. Midsize competitors like Rush Bowls, which offers bowls and smoothies, and Crisp & Green, which serves smoothies, salads and acai bowls, are aggressively entering new states through franchising. Tropical Smoothie Cafe is also opening additional cafes, and launched its first double drive-thru last year. 

In addition to expanding its menu, Smoothie King has also brought on several new top executives, including chief development officer, CMO, chief information officer and chief people officer, within the past year to support aggressive growth.