With 80 locations in California alone, Juice It Up! surprisingly doesn’t have a presence in San Luis Obispo, Monterey, or Ventura counties. Before the end of June, Santa Barbara County was on this list as well.
That changed with the grand opening of the brand’s first Central Coast location in Santa Maria. The new store is located in the ever-expanding Enos Ranch West Center on Betteravia Road.
Based in Newport Beach, the Juice It Up! chain specializes in handcrafted, “blended-to-order” smoothies, fresh-squeezed raw juices, and fruit bowls. There are currently more than 100 locations, either open or under development, throughout California, Arizona, New Mexico, Oregon, and Texas.
Carlo Verdugo, vice president of operations and business development at Juice It Up!, described the brand as “hyper focused on transparency,” by enabling guests to see their order being made from start to finish.
One of the reasons franchisee Boby Singh decided to open a Juice It Up! location in Santa Maria, where Singh owns other businesses as well, is the company’s dedication to menu innovation, Verdugo explained.
“We constantly innovate with potential new products our customers will love. Our food scientist is always tinkering with menu innovation and products,” Verdugo said. “On a quarterly basis, we introduce new menu products on a limited-time offering to keep our products relevant, fresh, and fun for our customers.”
Verdugo added that some Juice It Up! locations are part of “a select group of menu innovation test stores that offer new products to gain valuable feedback from our customers, as we identify our future new limited-time offering products,” he said.
One of the brand’s latest limited-time items is a special summer-centric offering, the Sandia Loca Smoothie, “a refreshing blend of watermelon, strawberries, lime, and Tajin,” Verdugo said.
Verdugo has worked for Juice It Up! for the past two years. He described the chain as “a great lifestyle brand company in an industry I have a deep passion for.”
His personal favorite product at Juice It Up! is the Acai Berry Bowl, topped with fresh banana, strawberry, and granola. He also enjoys the Strawberry Wave, “a delicious blend of strawberry, banana, and nonfat yogurt,” he said.
Among the chain’s vast smoothie selection is a variety of both plant-based smoothies—with options including The Greens, The Reds, and The Tumeric—and protein-infused smoothies as well.
Each of the brand’s raw juice offerings sounds like it could be the working title of an upcoming Arnold Schwarzenegger movie, with options like the Detoxifier, the Energizer, the Invigorator, the Immunizer, the Optimizer, and the Rejuvenator.
While the shop’s selections of fruit bowls and other items are just as broad, the Juice It Up! menu and overall brand approach is simple enough to allow low food costs and a light labor model, compared to many other franchises, Verdugo explained.
“Based on our simple menu and simple operations, the average Juice It Up! only requires 10 to 12 total employees,” said Verdugo, who added that only two team members are usually needed to manage the store during slow hours.
Verdugo described the atmosphere of the new Santa Maria location as “crisp, clean, and fresh,” thanks to welcoming architecture, convenient access for patrons with mobile orders to avoid waiting in line, and a photo op inside the store.
“In-store elements include comfortable seating and media to encourage guests to stay and relax, along with an Instagram-worthy statement wall showcasing the brand’s ‘Live Life Juiced’ motto,” Verdugo said.
“Other store highlights include the brand’s signature smoothie bowl bar front and center; an updated menu design, making it easier than ever to navigate the menu of functional products; and an accessible pickup counter for orders placed via Juice It Up!’s mobile app and third-party delivery partners.”
Arts Editor Caleb Wiseblood is navigating through his inbox at cwiseblood@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Jul 28 – Aug 4, 2022.