Smoothie King Taps Restaurant Franchise Veteran for Key Leadership Role

DALLAS, Jan. 24, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Smoothie King, the leading global smoothie franchise, announced today the hiring of franchise industry veteran Shawn Caric as Vice President of Franchise Development. With decades of franchise experience, Caric will drive the brand's franchise development efforts by leading a talented team dedicated to recruiting passionate franchisees. These efforts will support the company's aggressive long-term growth plans to attract 70 new franchisees and sign 200 total store commitments in 2022.

No stranger to the restaurant industry, Caric comes to Smoothie King with an understanding of strategic development and vast experience of successful growth. As the Director of Development for Dunkin' and Baskin-Robbins, Caric worked to develop and execute strategic market and expansion strategy plans for both brands throughout the 11-state Midwest region. During his long tenure at Dunkin', Caric's guidance turned the Dunkin' franchising team into industry leaders within the Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) segment for new store commitments year after year. Most recently, he was the Vice President of Franchise Development for QDOBA Mexican Eats, where he directed the 740-unit brand's strategic franchise expansion across key markets in the United States and Canada. Prior to working with QDOBA, Caric has also held franchise leadership positions with Hollywood Tans and Red Mango. Additionally, Shawn spent 13 years with Hallmark Cards, serving the Northeast region in training, market development, operations, and regional sales management roles.

"My passion and energy comes from growing brands and helping franchisees to achieve their goals. And Smoothie King provides me the opportunity to do just that," said Caric. "As a franchising professional, nothing gets you more excited than working for a purpose-driven, category leading brand with strong leadership, great unit-level economics and a solid foundation with plenty of room for growth. Smoothie King checked all of these boxes for me and I am excited to begin this journey with the brand."

The focus of the franchise in 2022 is to continue ramping up unit-level economics and system-wide growth through the introduction of new consumer-facing technology, product lines, and tools for franchisee success. All geared towards inspiring guests to live a healthy and active lifestyle. One which, with the help of Smoothie King, will be more convenient and obtainable than ever. 

"We wouldn't be the brand we are today without the leadership and dedication of individuals like Shawn – those passionate about our growth and bringing on the right franchisees to help expand our brand and leave our mark on the $2 billion smoothie segment," said Wan Kim, CEO of Smoothie King. "Shawn is highly-skilled with decades of successful franchise experience under his belt, which makes him well-equipped for the responsibilities he is taking on. Highly regarded in his respective field, I have the utmost confidence in his ability to succeed in his new role at Smoothie King." 

In addition to representing another iconic American brand, Caric is excited about the unique opportunity for new and existing franchisees of Smoothie King. "Between the low labor operating model, the ability to scale, and the availability for traditional and non-traditional development in many markets across the country, the time is now to join us," added Caric.

As the world's largest smoothie brand with more than 1,300 stores open, Smoothie King has achieved same-store sales growth for the past 9+ years by delivering masterfully crafted blends that support its guests' healthy and active lifestyles. Get started by visiting www.smoothiekingfranchise.com for more information. 

ABOUT SMOOTHIE KING FRANCHISES, INC. 
Smoothie King Franchises, Inc., the original U.S. smoothie franchise, is a privately-held, Dallas-based franchise company with over 1,300 locations worldwide. Founded in 1973, Smoothie King has evolved into a lifestyle brand inspiring people to live healthy and active lifestyles via nutritious, great-tasting smoothies. The franchise earned No. 13 overall on Entrepreneur's prestigious Franchise 500 list in 2022. The company also debuted on the "Inc. 5000" list in 2018 and ranked as one of Franchise Business Review's Top Franchises of 2022.

Media Contact: Julianne Stevenson, Fishman PR, 224-558-2510 or [email protected]

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SOURCE Smoothie King