Banana's Ultimate Juice Bar has been riding on the smoothie
bandwagon for more than a decade. Franchising since 1981, parent
company RSI Inc. has at least 100 operators co-branding the
Banana's smoothie concept with one or more of the three other
food concepts RSI provides.
RSI primarily targets the East Coast, where smoothies are seen
as more of an impulse buy or a snack item than a destination
purchase or a meal alternative. Banana's stores are usually
erected in high-foot-traffic areas such as transportation centers
and malls, where consumers embrace smoothies more for the
convenience factor than the health factor. That's why
co-branding is so essential: "In our opinion, you need more
than smoothies," explains Steve Beagelman, RSI's vice
president of franchise development.
Martin and Maria Mascia, 35 and 33, respectively, bought their
co-branded concept in 1996. Intrigued by the surge in smoothie
popularity, they bought an existing Everything Yogurt, Salad
Café and Banana's franchise at Ocean County Mall in
Tom's River, New Jersey, with $150,000 in savings.
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The Mascias had sales of $400,000 last year and, at press time,
were planning to open a Treat Street concept--RSI's latest
development--to sell a variety of impulse snack items in one kiosk.
Primarily selling smoothies, the Treat Street kiosk will be set up
in another section of the same mall. "There's plenty of
foot traffic," says Martin, "so there's definitely
room for two."
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