Tropical Smoothie Cafe launches in West Akron at former Lululemon spot
Tropical Smoothie Cafe, the newest smoothie spot in town, launched Monday with a soft opening at 1711 W. Market St. in West Akron.
The Wallhaven eatery, which employs 23, is owner Gaurav Aggarwal's first Tropical Smoothie Cafe in Akron and his third in Northeast Ohio, following locations in Boardman and Willoughby that he opened last year.
On opening day Monday, Aggarwal posted on LinkedIn, "Akron is now on Tropic Time!"
He said opening his first cafe in the Rubber City was an exciting milestone. The grand opening is planned for mid-March.
The eatery, located in the Wallhaven neighborhood space where Lululemon formerly was, features an interior with bright tropical colors including orange, blue and lime green. Large prints of fresh-cut avocado and mango adorn the walls.
"I love this place. If the weather is gloomy, I go to Tropical," Aggarwal said.
Cafe hours are 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday.
The cafe's 24-ounce smoothies are made with all fresh fruit, the owner said. Three specialty kids' smoothies are smaller, at 12 ounces.
Tropical Smoothie Cafe also has a sizable food menu, including wraps, sandwiches, flatbreads, quesadillas, salads and six breakfast options served all day. For that reason, Tropical Smoothie Cafe does a lot of catering.
Brand new in the last month are Tropical Smoothie Cafe bowls, including the Acai Bowl, Chia Oatmeal Pudding, Green Dream Yogurt and Mixed Berry Greek Yogurt.
Smoothie choices include Super Veggies with greens and fruit, Balanced Fusions, Tropical Treats and Fruit Blends. Customers can also add in everything from Vitamin B12 to collagen.
"We get people from the gym, so they like to add proteins and vitamin C," Aggarwal said of customers coming from Orangetheory Fitness in the same plaza.
Tropical Smoothie's top seller is the Bahama Mama, made with strawberries, pineapple, coconut and white chocolate. Also popular is the Sunrise, Sunset with strawberries, pineapple, mango and orange juice.
District Manager Erich Torok also pointed out fun, edible straws for purchase, which add 40 calories to a smoothie. They come in strawberry or lime flavors and cost 99 cents.
"My daughter always gets her smoothie with an edible straw because she likes to eat that straw," Aggarwal, who lives in Solon, said of his 8-year-old.
For sandwiches, Torok said flatbreads are "great, portion-sized handouts" with the chicken pesto being a lighter choice. Other popular sandwiches are the Baja Chicken wrap, Caribbean Jerk Chicken wrap and Santa Fe Chicken quesadilla.
For more information, see tropicalsmoothiecafe.com.
Torok said the store's mobile app is key. Customers receive a free smoothie after their first purchase by downloading the app and joining Tropical Smoothie Cafe's rewards program.
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Largest Northeast Ohio franchisee
With three Tropical Smoothie Cafe locations, Aggarwal is the largest franchisee in Northeast Ohio. He'll open a fourth location in Mayfield Heights this summer and plans to open six or seven more Tropical Smoothie Cafes in the next two years in Northeast Ohio.
Aggarwal is also the largest Wingstop franchisee in Northeast Ohio, with 16 locations, including one across the street from Tropical Smoothie Cafe at Westgate Shopping Center in Wallhaven and other Akron-area locations in Cuyahoga Falls, Springfield Township and Norton.
Aggarwal, who received a master's degree and Ph.D. from Penn State University in materials science, has an engineering background. He worked for a General Electric division in Columbus for a number of years before moving to Northeast Ohio a decade ago.
Tropical Smoothie Cafe, founded in 1993 as a smoothie shop in Destin, Florida, has more than 1,100 locations across the country. The chain is now headquartered in Atlanta.
Arts and restaurant writer Kerry Clawson may be reached at 330-996-3527 or kclawson@thebeaconjournal.com.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron gets taste of tropics with first Tropical Smoothie Cafe spot
