Franchise Facts Report → brands → Tropical Smoothie Cafe
Tropical Smoothie Cafe franchise — is it worth it?
Low risk Growing network Item 19 disclosed
What Tropical Smoothie Cafe's most recent Franchise Disclosure Document says about the money, the litigation, and the franchisee churn — before you wire a five- or six-figure franchise fee.
Everything below is free, read straight off Tropical Smoothie Cafe's registered filing, with where the numbers land against category peers. Weighing Tropical Smoothie Cafe against other options? Get a free shortlist of franchises that fit your budget.
Figures above are as disclosed in Tropical Smoothie Cafe's most recent FDD (registered 2024). Source: Minnesota Dept. of Commerce — CARDS franchise registrations · filing 32480-202410-04 — check it yourself. See every other Minnesota-registered franchise.
Considering Tropical Smoothie Cafe? See what else fits your budget
Tell us your budget and the industries you're open to. We'll match you with 5–10 franchises whose own FDDs fit — ranked by earnings disclosure, growth and closure rate — and email you the list. Tropical Smoothie Cafe will be on it if it fits.
How much does a Tropical Smoothie Cafe franchise make?
Tropical Smoothie Cafe is one of the franchisors that answers this on the record: its most recent FDD makes an Item 19 financial performance representation — actual unit earnings figures, disclosed by the franchisor itself. The headline figure did not machine-read cleanly from this filing, so we don't print one; Item 19 of the source FDD has the tables. See every other brand that discloses earnings in the Other franchises with disclosed Item 19 earnings ranking.
Tropical Smoothie Cafe franchise profit vs. revenue
Revenue is not profit. An Item 19 almost always reports sales — what a location takes in — not what an owner keeps. Out of that number come Tropical Smoothie Cafe's 6% royalty, the ad fund, rent, payroll, supplies and debt service. No FDD tells you a Tropical Smoothie Cafe franchise's profit, because profit depends on your site, your rent and how you run it — so treat any "Tropical Smoothie Cafe franchise profit" figure quoted elsewhere as someone's estimate, not a disclosure.
Tropical Smoothie Cafe lawsuits & legal history (FDD Item 3)
Tropical Smoothie Cafe's most recently filed Franchise Disclosure Document (2024) does disclose legal proceedings in Item 3 . Item 3 is the item where a franchisor must put its material legal history on the record. Two things it is not: it covers the franchisor and its predecessors, parents and affiliates, so a disclosed case is not necessarily a suit against Tropical Smoothie Cafe itself; and a disclosure is a fact, not a finding of wrongdoing — most entries are contract disputes with former franchisees, which every large system accumulates. Item 3 of the source FDD describes each case.
Tropical Smoothie Cafe closures & failure rate
Before you sign, Tropical Smoothie Cafe will hand you a list of current owners to call as references — and they choose who's on that list. It won't include the owners who quit, got bought out, or were forced out last year. The FDD does report that number, even though the reference list leaves those people off. Below is what Tropical Smoothie Cafe's most recent filing shows, and whether it's normal for a franchise of this kind.
The closest thing an FDD has to a failure rate is Item 20 — outlet openings, closures, terminations and non-renewals, reported by the franchisor. Tropical Smoothie Cafe's latest tables show a growing franchised network. Its franchised-outlet closure rate — closures, terminations and non-renewals against outlets — is 0.4%. Net franchised outlets moved +174 to 1,371 in the latest reported year.
Who owns Tropical Smoothie Cafe?
Tropical Smoothie Cafe's franchise is offered by TSC Franchisor, LLC — the franchisor named on the cover of its most recently filed Franchise Disclosure Document (2024), and the entity a franchisee actually signs with. That name comes straight off the filing at MN CARDS; it identifies the franchisor, not necessarily the ultimate parent company behind it.
Compare Tropical Smoothie Cafe head-to-head
Franchises at a similar investment level at a similar investment level
Anyone weighing Tropical Smoothie Cafe is really weighing it against the other brands their money could go into. These are the closest by total initial investment (FDD Item 7), each with its own FDD-based page.
Tropical Smoothie Cafe franchise — frequently asked
Who owns Tropical Smoothie Cafe — who is the franchisor?
Tropical Smoothie Cafe's most recently filed FDD (2024) names TSC Franchisor, LLC as the franchisor — the entity you would actually sign the franchise agreement with, as stated on the disclosure document itself. A registry filing names the franchisor, not necessarily its ultimate parent company.
How much does a Tropical Smoothie Cafe franchise cost?
Tropical Smoothie Cafe's most recently filed FDD (Item 7) puts the total estimated initial investment at $300,000 – $720,500, with an initial franchise fee of $35,000 and a 6% royalty. That price is the franchisor's own estimate of what it takes to open, not a quote. Against category peers it sits in the lower quartile (median $227,750).
How much profit does a Tropical Smoothie Cafe franchise make?
Tropical Smoothie Cafe discloses unit earnings in Item 19, but that figure is revenue — sales — not profit. Royalties (6% of gross for Tropical Smoothie Cafe), the ad fund, rent, payroll and supplies all come out of it, and no FDD discloses what an owner nets. Any Tropical Smoothie Cafe franchise profit number quoted elsewhere is an estimate.
Does Tropical Smoothie Cafe disclose financial performance (Item 19)?
Yes — Tropical Smoothie Cafe reports unit-level earnings in Item 19. The headline figure did not machine-read cleanly, so check Item 19 of the source FDD for the numbers.
Are there lawsuits against Tropical Smoothie Cafe?
Tropical Smoothie Cafe's most recently filed FDD (2024) discloses legal proceedings in Item 3. Item 3 covers the franchisor, its predecessors, parents and affiliates — so a disclosed case is not necessarily a suit against Tropical Smoothie Cafe itself, and a disclosure is not a finding of wrongdoing.
Is Tropical Smoothie Cafe a good franchise to buy?
Nobody can answer that from Tropical Smoothie Cafe's numbers alone — it comes down to how its investment, earnings, litigation and franchisee churn stack up against category peers and against your own budget. Our read on this filing is low risk. Every figure behind that read is on this page for free. If you're comparing options, the free shortlist on this page matches you with 5–10 franchises that fit your budget and industry.
Get a free email when something changes on Tropical Smoothie Cafe or this category: a new FDD registration, a new lawsuit, an outlet count that shifts, or Item 19 earnings going from undisclosed to disclosed. Pulled straight from the same state registries this page is built on.