7 Reasons to Run a 24 Hour Smoothie Place, Make More Money!

You’ll be surprised to know that a 24-hour smoothie place is a good business in several markets.

Smoothie bars require low investment and minimal labor. They can be successfully launched and managed by small business owners as smoothie kiosks or add-on ventures to gyms, rec centers, and universities. As a pop-up, juice bars usually operate within the day. And as co-ventures, they open and close with the main business. 

However, the smoothie industry had been boasting a continued growth since 2015. It was valued at 4.58 billion in 2019 and is projected to reach the $6.28 billion mark in 2025. The health benefits associated with fresh smoothies have attracted an increasing number of health-conscious people. 

This heightened appreciation for meal replacement beverages may just put smoothies at the same level of marketability as your usual burger or coffee. 

If Your Own a Smoothie Bar Today, You hit the Jackpot!

If you own a refreshment place today, you have made an intelligent investment. You are likely to benefit as consumer preference continually shifts from carbonated drinks to turning fruits and vegetables into juices. 

Soon, you’ll have a good stuff kind of problem. As opportunities open for you, will your branch out? Or perhaps increase your operation hours?

Of course, running a business around the clock has its advantages and disadvantages. You have to strike at the right time to increase profits and avoid losses. 

The biggest boon is that you get to maximize your rent. You get twice the value versus businesses that only open for 12 hours. And the rent is often the most expensive cost of business, alongside labor.

Then, you maximize your other overhead costs, such as renovations, fixtures, and marketing. 

Finally, you earn 24 hours a day as you become the go-to of hospital workers, delivery men, the police, and people who work from their homes and crave for a midnight snack. 

However, there are extra expenses when you operate 24/7. You spend more on water, electricity, and labor. Although, like 7-Eleven, you can always limit your workforce to 1-2 persons. A cashier and security guard can multitask in cleaning and merchandising.

Here are 7 brilliant reasons to run a 24-hour smoothie near me.

You Live in New York

New York is a cultural capital and entertainment epicenter. It has a 24-hour nightlife district and a subway system that never closes. As a consequence, it has more than 240 24-hour smoothie places, the most in America.

Some of these fun bars are also restaurants, coffee shops, ice cream parlors, and groceries. Some are bars that serve smoothies with alcohol.

As New Yorkers stay up late and get less than six hours of sleep at night, a cup of nutrition is in order.

You are a Smoothie Bar and Convenience Store 

Smoothie Bars are the new coffee shops, while convenience stores are the future of groceries. The market shares of smoothie bars like Smoothie King and convenience stores are on a sharp rise, making sense for them to combine forces. 

In the 2020 consumer report of Information Resource Inc. (IRI), it was determined that the buying public prioritizes saving time, effort, and money during grocery trips.

Weekly grocery trips have become a century-old household chore after the first World War, where people look forward to a weekly ration of frozen food and other supplies. Following the war, army food such as Pik-Nik made it to grocery shelves.

However, today’s population exhibits more confidence in America’s food security and considers itself financially stable. People still visit the groceries on weekends. But within the week, they browse the internet, get food delivery, and go to the convenience store.

C-store visits are less about finding food to eat, and more about taking a break, enjoying a bit of retail therapy, and finding things that provide comfort. Beverages comprise 20-30 percent of convenience store sales and smoothies are the hottest beverages in town. 

Late Night Food Delivery is Popular in Your Area

One of the most successful industries during the pandemic was food delivery. Generating $8 billion in gross revenue in 2018 in the US alone, the industry is predicted to more than double its numbers by 2025.

Food delivery brings joy to many people who work from home. Food has always been a source of comfort. With less socialization and outdoor leisure, we all need to call Dash once in a while, or perhaps every day.

Rise above the ocean of Pizzas, coffee, burgers through healthier alternatives to satisfy midnight cravings. 

You’re in a 24-Hour Gym

Many gyms position themselves as convenient and are indeed accessible 24-hours. Their market leader, 24-Hour Fitness has 4 million members and more than 420 clubs in 13 states.

It takes commitment and willpower to be at the gym early in the morning or late at night. Passionate bodybuilders like them not only exercise but stay on top of their healthy diet and lifestyle. They’ll appreciate having a smoothie bar around to take the right boost as pursue their body goals. After all, many just came in from a productive workday and will appreciate a cup of energy. And after a good workout, carb and protein replenishments should be in order.

Maybe Not a 24 Hour Smoothie Place, but Late Night

Once in a while, it feels good to break the monotony of going to work and then going home, by catching up with friends over pasta, and then, later on, a few glasses of cocktails, preferably real fruit Pina Colada! It’s not just about the drink, it’s about slowing down and feeling connected. After all, we work to live. But we live for love and friendship.

Late-night bars are home for friends, artists, writers, night owls, single ladies, and anyone who relishes in the company of people or just being in the crowd when the moon is up. And indeed, some things are better at night, people are more relaxed and friendly, the world slows down and you’re more at ease to talk to anyone.  

You’re in an Airport or Hospital

Some people work late in the night to take care of others or to make sure we catch our flights. But as they clock in lonelier shifts, it’s nice for them also to be taken care of and to find comfort and a bit of socialization in juice bars. 

You are a Coffee Shop

Today’s coffee shops are rich in colors, flavors, and experiences. So much art, love, and culture are poured into the cup and the atmosphere. We have cat cafes, Victorian cafes, garden cafes, Bohemian cafes, and a thousand other Instagramable walls that will make influencers explode with excitement. 

True to their nature. Coffee shops use only the best beans, whatever is the best for you. It’s no longer just the usual Arabica. They have beans from all over the world, representing a wealth of culture and agriculture. 

Coffee shops are also doing better in the food department. It’s no longer true that coffee shops have bad food. Maybe Starbucks can do better! But generally, coffee shops are starting to offer delectable Pasta and baked goods. They’re also becoming more inclusive as they offer options like Almond milk to the lactose intolerant.

Non-coffee options such as real fruit smoothies, peanut butter, and chocolate drinks are also selling well. Smoothies are keeping up with coffee in the social food department. It’s becoming a must for coffee shops to have juice bars and to offer healthy food options.

Challenges + Tips as in Running a 24 Hour Smoothie Place

The Closing Shift

As you extend your operating hours, you hire more people to cover shifts, including the closing shifts. As a consequence, in some parts of the day, you leave your smoothie shop, restaurant, or cafe entirely to the hands of your staff. This works fine so long as they are attuned to your vision and are giving their 100%.

However, some issues may arise, particularly during the closing shift.

First, closing shifters work alone and they may feel bored and lonely. They work with less motivation, and sometimes end up just blending and serving the smoothie without a gesture of welcome and hospitality.

Moreover, it’s also tempting for a juice bar and restaurant owners to delegate more cleaning to closing shifters, assuming that they have less work because there are fewer people. While this is fine, it’s good to have a clear idea of how the staff can balance cleaning and serving customers.

If your smoothie bar serves food and you expect your closers to wash the pans, look into how they’ll manage it if a customer comes late and orders a grilled sandwich. Fewer customers do not always mean less work, especially if you expect people to live up to specific service standards. 

Finally, some owners hadn’t stayed through a late-night shift or have done so when the shop was less busy. They don’t have a clear picture of what goes on during the shift.

In some cases, friction may arise among workers from different shifts. The openers and the mid-shifters may leave some glasses and dishes unwashed, thinking that the closers have nothing to do anyway. As it turns out, there are a number of customers who turn up at the beginning of the night shift, and the closer will have nothing to use. It’s also possible that the closers fail to clean everything for the openers to be ready to run shortly after arriving the next day.

In managing employees across shifts, it’s important to foster teamwork and make everyone feel a part of the big picture. Train and appreciate employees, and make them feel that what they do counts. Try to come around in different shifts throughout the week.

If your team is comfortable, try changing schedules. If you’re offering food products, keep in mind that closers get fewer tips.

Pantry, Grocery Store, and Bakery

Fewer stores are open at night. So, if you’re a juice shop or a cafe that’s open 24-hours, you might want to take advantage of the opportunity and consider enriching your offerings to sell more products that relate to your brand and mission.

If you’re selling real fruit smoothies, consider having a few shelves stocked with fruits, quinoa, different varieties of wheat, black and brown rice, brown eggs, chia, and everything one needs to cook a wholesome meal. You are making it easier for people to lead a healthy lifestyle. 

Of course, as you carry various products, you have to keep track of their shelf lives or storage parameters. 

So, Should You Run a 24 Hour Smoothie Place?

It makes sense for our friends and clients to open in the morning for breakfast smoothies and until 8 to 9 pm for gyms and rec centers. Others open as late as midnight. 

If you notice a lot of latecomers and heavy midnight traffic in your area, then you know there’s an opportunity to earn 24 hours. If you have time in your hands, close the store yourself so you can stay a little longer while people are still coming in.

In the end, you can always consider extending your hours. Just make sure to provide excellent service at all times and create efficient and profitable dynamics.