Smoothie King Equips for Its First Food Menu

Bringing some warmth to Smoothie King’s menu called for the addition of new equipment.

Today, Aug. 26, the chain launches its first food menu in the brand’s 50-year history, and a ventless high-speed oven plays a key role in several of the offerings.

The ovens will warm items like Egg Clouds (veggie, turkey sausage or turkey bacon varieties grace the menu) and sous vide chicken tenders, skewered and offered in two flavors (zesty garlic or spicy habanero), with a choice of three dipping sauces: barbecue, ranch or boom boom sauce. Both the Egg Clouds and chicken tenders are set to launch early next year, while other items like chocolate hazelnut toast, avocado toast, and egg and cheese protein boxes become available this week.

“As we continue to evolve the Power Eats menu, the oven gives us flexibility to introduce new items without adding operational complexity,” says Lori Primavera, Smoothie King’s vice president of research and development and product marketing, in an email to FER.

To that end, the model offers custom menu item programming with unlimited storage.

Primavera notes that ventless operation also was non-negotiable for Smoothie King, and the oven’s combination of quality, speed and reliability stood out as well. “The oven integrates seamlessly into existing layouts, requires minimal training for team members and allows us to deliver food items at the quality standard our guests expect,” she adds.

Equipment rollout plans for existing stores are still underway, but Primavera says the “goal is to bring this capability system-wide in a thoughtful, scalable way that supports franchisees and maintains consistency for guests.”

Dallas-based Smoothie King has over 1,200 stores nationwide.