Smoothie King

Smoothie King Franchises, Inc. is an American privately held Dallas-area-based smoothie franchise company with more than 900 units worldwide.
== History ==
Working as a soda jerker in his teenage years, Steve Kuhnau, founder of Smoothie King, found himself unable to digest the malts, shakes, and floats he was preparing due to a lactose intolerance. Consequently, he formulated a smoothie in his kitchen as an alternative to other ice cream-based drinks of the era. Shortly after his first store opened in Kenner, Louisiana, in 1973, other stores opened in the New Orleans metropolitan area, and subsequently in Washington, D.C. and 32 other states. Kuhnau began to franchise the Smoothie King name and business in 1989. Smoothie King's 30th restaurant, in 2003, was commemorated with their first international franchise, in South Korea.
In July 2012, Steve and Cindy Kuhnau sold the company to Smoothie King's South Korean franchisee Wan Kim and Standard Chartered. Kim borrowed $58 million from Standard Chartered. In November, the company announced that it would move its headquarters from Covington, Louisiana, to Metairie, in Jefferson Parish, near the company's first store in Kenner. The company cited a $2.4 million promised incentive from the Louisiana Department of Economic Development for its decision to stay in the state.
Category:Restaurants
Category:Smoothie Shops