by Main Squeeze Juice Company currently has 28 locations but is franchising fast and fast. … [+]
It’s often the smaller restaurant chain on the block that needs to be faster, faster and more strategic than its established competitors. Faced with intense competition from several major juice competitors, Main Squeeze Juice Co. still on the rise.
It has reached 28 locations in five states by the end of 2022 and aims to add 10 more locations by 2023. “We have always grown strategically; Thomas Nieto, CEO of Main Squeeze Juice Company, based in New Orleans, La., says it’s important that we have a solid foundation before we move on to national growth.
As with many chains, franchising is key to its growth. Of its 28 stores, 26 are franchises and two are company-owned. And all 10 new ones will be franchises.
The Main Squeeze Juice Company is growing rapidly, highlighting healthy products and developing a number of new franchise stores.
Fueling its growth is Scottsdale, Az, which has invested in a wide variety of companies including Cold Stone Creamery, Atlanta Bread, and Tap House Kitchen. capital injection from Conscious Capital Growth, a private equity firm.
Nieto says Conscious Capital Growth is a suitable partner because of its “experience in franchising and operations.” When asked what his long-term vision is for Main Squeeze Juice, Nieto replied, “For us, their goal is to start scaling nationally.”
“What are your goals, where do you want to be, and how can we accelerate them?” He says there are former CEOs who ask.
Smoothie and juice chains have been on the rise over the past decade. “People today demand healthier restaurants with accessibility. People are more conscious about the food they put in their bodies,” Nieto said.
As CEO, Nieto’s goals are “to build a strong brand that can make the greatest possible impact on as many customers and communities as possible.”
To that end, Main Squeeze Juice expanded from New Orleans to Houston, Hattiesburg, Miss., and 10 stores in Jacksonville, Fl., St. Louis and has just given away a franchise in the state of Arizona.
Why franchise for expansion instead of developing company-owned stores where the owner exercises more control? Nieto says, “Company owned is slower and more methodical; franchising is more efficient.”
But he concedes that for franchising to work, it has to be “overly selective about who we deal with.” He also says that the biggest pitfalls in franchising are choosing the wrong business partners or the wrong locations.
He describes the ideal franchisor as “financially qualified and needs to have a passion for helping people and people and doing whatever it takes to win, and having a proven track record.”
When asked to distinguish Clean Juice from its larger competitors Smoothie King, Tropical Smoothie Café and Clean Juice, it says its products are “100% dairy-free, plant-based liquids and everything in our store is based on whole fruits and vegetables.” ice. 100% nutrient-dense smoothies.”
Indeed, 70% of his income comes from juices and smoothies. And its three most popular items sold are wild harvest bowls, including cold-pressed juices, plant-based smoothies, and acai bowls.
Much of its business is lunch-oriented, but it has recently introduced a new breakfast sandwich filled with Beyond Meat plant-based patties that are sold throughout the day. And it’s developing new products to drive breakfast and dinner sales.
Consumer response on Yelp was mostly positive. Andrew, of New Orleans, wrote that he is not a “healthy juice person,” but that he likes Main Squeeze’s “overall selections of juices, bowls, and smoothies,” and that it offers single-sip samples from most of its menu. He also stayed there for over an hour, held a meeting there, and was never interrupted.
David of New Orleans, however, found the bottled water “too expensive,” but noted that reward points can cut the cost.
Nieto said there are “conversion processes that will change the ticket duration from 3 minutes to 30 seconds” in the future. Our mission is to make healthy eating easy, delicious, affordable yet fast. This is the world we live in today.”
He identified the keys to his future as: 1) increasing profitability, 2) streamlining operations to make it easier to run multiple franchises.
