Snacking and Smoothie Chains Continue to Shine

Americans’ love affair with snacks is still stronger than ever, with foot traffic increasing year-over-year for this sweet and savory category. We looked at an assortment of favorite brands you might find at shopping centers to assuage that hunger between meals, or let’s face it, buy just because it’s tasty. Our snack category encompasses coffees, teas, bobas, pretzels, cakes, cookies, pastries, donuts, ice cream, frozen yogurt, smoothie and juice bars, and candy stores.  Compared to other dining categories like fast casual, full-service, and QSR, the snack attack is strong. Like the lipstick index, in times of economic uncertainty, snacks provide a nice indulgence or a pick-me-up during the day without breaking the bank.

One of the types of snacks fueling year-over-year growth, smoothies are a favorite all year round.  However, come summer is when those enticing flavors are perfect to cool you off after running errands in the heat. Tropical Smoothie Cafe has seen consistent positive year-over-year traffic in the past 12 months.  Earlier this year, the brand had reported its 12th consecutive year of same-store sales growth.  CEO Charles Watson noted “fantastic growth” in 2023. Smoothie King has also seen positive year-over-year trending most months in the past year. Jamba Juice, however, saw more traffic last year compared to this year.

Both Tropical Smoothie Cafe and Smoothie King have a higher percentage of loyal visitors who came 2+ times.  Both hover around 20%, whereas it is slightly less, around 15% for Jamba Juice.

There are also some seasonal differences. Traffic for Tropical Smoothie Cafe and Smoothie King are relatively higher in the spring and summer months, whereas Jamba Juice sees a smoother traffic line throughout the year.

Smoothie King locations tend to be concentrated in the eastern half of the US, which may account for some of the seasonality with more extreme variations in temperatures. Jamba Juice is much more heavily concentrated on the West Coast, and in California particularly. Tropical Smoothie Cafe’s geographic footprint more closely mirrors that of Smoothie King, with heavier emphasis on the eastern half of the U.S.

Segments also vary a bit, with Smoothie King and Tropical Smoothie Cafe’s visitors a bit more similar in profile, per Spatial.ai’s PersonaLive.