Smoothie King – a leading quick-service restaurant concept known for its health-focused smoothies – earned the No. 14 ranking on Entrepreneur's 2020 Franchise 500 List and the first overall spot in the list's "Smoothies/Juice" category for the 29th-consecutive year, the company announced Thursday.

The Franchise 500, a comprehensive compilation of the strongest and most well-performing franchises around the world over the last year, saw Smoothie King jump eight places in 2020 compared to its No. 22 ranking in 2019.   

"We are honored to be so high on this year's Franchise 500 list by Entrepreneur," said Smoothie King CEO Wan Kim. "This recognition is a testament to our team, franchisees and their passion for the Smoothie King brand. Because of their dedication and buy in, we've become an integral part of more people's health and fitness journeys each year and attracted likeminded entrepreneurs who align with our mission and vision." 

With a mission to inspire people to live healthy and active lifestyles, it's understandable why Smoothie King has experienced notable growth over the last three years. More and more consumers are demanding menu transparency and clean, wholesome options from the brands they interact with, and Smoothie King has excelled at demonstrating that kind of authenticity and unwavering commitment to guests' health and wellness needs.

While the brand has continued to innovate and grow, so has the franchise system. In 2017, Smoothie King had just over 900 units globally – growing progressively in 2018 by 70 units and in 2019 by 101 units. As of January 2020, Smoothie King has 1,100 open locations and counting.

Smoothie King was one of a record-breaking 1,105 companies to submit all the necessary-and-qualifying information. Ground-floor requirements for 2020 Franchise 500 consideration included: having at least 10 open-and-operating units as of July 31, 2019 in the United States and Canada, with at least one U.S. unit; and actively seeking franchise opportunities in both countries.

Reviewed by Entrepreneur's editorial team and cross referenced against more than 150 data points, franchises were ranked highest to lowest based on the cumulative score they generated from the analysis.

Dallas-based Smoothie King is seeking qualified partners both domestically and internationally to join its franchise system. For more information, please visit www.smoothiekingfranchise.com.

ABOUT SMOOTHIE KING
Founded in 1973, Smoothie King is a lifestyle brand inspiring people to live healthy-and-active lifestyles via nutritious, great-tasting smoothies with 1,100 locations in 34 U.S. states, the Caymans, Trinidad and the Republic of Korea. The franchise earned the No. 1 ranking among smoothie concepts for the 29th-consecutive year, and the No. 14 spot overall, on Entrepreneur's prestigious Franchise 500 list in 2020.

For more information on how to become a Smoothie King franchisee, please visit www.smoothiekingfranchise.com.