Shantel
Smoothie King, the world’s largest smoothie chain and the first health and fitness QSR brand of its kind, today announced it has named Camille Hymes as chief operating officer, effective June 5. In her new role, Hymes will help lead the company through the next phase of its transformative national growth and drive the continued success of the brand by providing company-wide operational leadership and strategic vision.
“We’re excited to have Camille Hymes join our distinguished leadership team at Smoothie King. Camille brings decades of QSR experience and her fresh, unique perspective will help our brand as we continue to expand operations in key markets nationwide,” said Wan Kim, chief executive officer, Smoothie King. “We strive to hire the most qualified, experienced leaders who truly understand every aspect of the food service industry – and Camille is no exception. We know that Camille will add tremendous value to our brand leadership team and we look forward to her contributions, as we serve and support our guests, as well as franchisees.”
With more than 20 years of food service and operations experience, Hymes has driven strong, sustainable sales and enhanced customer experiences for some of the world’s leading restaurant titans. Prior to joining Smoothie King, Hymes served multiple roles with Starbucks including Corporate Vice President, Public Affairs, U.S. Community Impact, Partner Experience Strategy, Strategic Brand Partnerships and Vice President, Regional Retail Operations for the Mid-Atlantic.
Hymes also previously served as Divisional Vice President, Franchise Operations for Jack in the Box and Regional Manager with ExxonMobil. While at Jack in the Box, she helped transition the brand from 80 percent company owned restaurants to 80 percent franchise operated units.
“I’m eager to begin working with the exceptional Smoothie King team and feel privileged to lead company operations,” said Camille Hymes, chief operating officer, Smoothie King.
“Throughout my career, I’ve admired Smoothie King from afar and followed the brand’s mission to inspire people to live a healthy and active lifestyle. I look forward to hitting the ground running as COO and to working closely with the brand and our franchisees to drive the customer experience and expand our presence.”
Hyme’s addition comes on the heels of other executive team hires as Kim and Smoothie King grow in key markets and innovate to enhance franchisee profitability. In November 2022, Smoothie King added Chief Marketing Officer Marianne Radley, Chief Information Officer Juan Salas and Chief People Officer Laura Scavone to the executive leadership team.
Additionally, Smoothie King is continuing to focus on its menu to provide more options for customers and drive franchisee revenue. Smoothie King debuted Smoothie Bowls at all U.S. locations in April and is now the largest smoothie bowl provider in the country. The brand has already sold more than one million bowls nationwide. Smoothie King also added more than 30 units to its pipeline in Q1 2023 and is on pace to open 100 locations by end of year.
Smoothie King has repeatedly been recognized as a top franchise opportunity, most recently ranked number 17 in Entrepreneur magazine’s highly competitive Franchise 500 ranking of the top franchise brands. 2023 marked Smoothie King’s 32nd consecutive year on the Franchise 500 list, earning it a spot in Entrepreneur’s new Hall of Fame. The brand was also included in Yelp’s 50 Most Loved Brands of 2023, QSR magazine’s 2022 Best Franchise Deals, named “Top Brand to Buy” in the beverage category of Franchise Times’ 2022 Zor Awards and selected for Franchise Times’ “Top 400 Franchises” list. Furthermore, Smoothie King received the Top Franchises Satisfaction Award for 2022 from Franchise Business Review based on the brand’s high franchisee satisfaction.
For more information on Smoothie King or to learn about franchise opportunities, please visit www.smoothiekingfranchise.com.
About Smoothie King Franchises, Inc.
Smoothie King Franchises, Inc., the original U.S. smoothie franchise, is a privately held, Dallas-based franchise company with over 1,350 locations worldwide, including in the United States, Korea, Grand Cayman, and Trinidad. Founded in 1973, Smoothie King has made it its mission to inspire people to live a healthy and active lifestyle. By blending each smoothie with a purpose, Smoothie King makes it simple and enjoyable for guests to achieve their individual health and fitness goals. Smoothie King has been recognized as No. 17 overall on Entrepreneur’s prestigious Franchise 500 list in 2023 and added to the outlet’s new Hall of Fame. For more information about franchising with Smoothie King, visit SmoothieKingFranchise.com
