Physician assistant, mom juggles healthy challenge: opening two Tropical Smoothie Cafe franchises

A new Tropical Smoothie Cafe franchisee is opening not one, but two locations this spring — all while keeping her day job and raising twin 4-year-olds.

Future home of Tropical Smoothie Cafe in the former Calibration Brewery building at 119 Armour Road in North Kansas City; photo by Joyce Smith

Nikki Vogel is taking over 2,200-square-feet in the former Calibration Brewery building at 119 Armour Road in North Kansas City for a scheduled April 16 opening. (It will be a neighbor to another tropical-themed chain: Hawaiian Bros Island Grill.)

She also plans a spring opening for her cafe in the Power & Light District, 1360 Walnut St.

But Nikki isn’t concerned by her full plate, she said.

“Tropical Smoothie Cafe does a good job of laying out the plans for you,” Nikki explained. “[The brand] has typically been more in the suburbs, but we love the city and that’s where I want to target my locations.”

A nutritional menu aligned with the brand also complements her day job — three days a week, 12 hours a day — as a physician assistant. 

During a Saturday morning interview while waiting for her children, William and Monroe, to finish their music lessons, Nikki shared her entrepreneurial journey. 

A first-generation college graduate, she earned a bachelor of science degree in biomedical sciences, and a master’s degree in physician assistant studies from the University of South Alabama. It is also where she met her husband, Paul Vogel.

As a treat — after tests, on the weekend, or coming back from a blazing hot day at the beach along the Gulf Coast near Mobile — she would beeline to Tropical Smoothie Cafe, typically ordering the Bahama Mama (with strawberries, pineapple and white chocolate).

Nikki and Paul eloped in 2009 and then moved to western Kansas when she joined a rural health clinic as physician assistant. The couple later moved to Michigan so Paul could attend law school. 

While Paul was an intern at a Kansas City law firm, they loved the metro so much, they relocated in 2016. Nikki became a physician assistant at Orthopedic Health of Kansas City with three area locations. 

Meanwhile, she was delving into different franchise opportunities, considering more than a dozen options — from coffee shops to urgent care to other smoothie cafe brands. None seemed to be a good fit.

But while back in Mobile for Paul’s family reunion in 2023, the couple toured their favorite haunts from their college days, including Tropical Smoothie Cafe. A sign on the door caught their eye — “Interested in becoming a franchisee?” — with a QR code. Nikki submitted a request for information even before ordering her favorite smoothie.

“My husband said, ‘You would be fantastic at this,’” she said. “I always want to be in health care but owning a business has always been a dream. I’m pretty outgoing. And I’ve loved Tropical Smoothie Cafe for quite some time, since 2004. This is a brand that I would walk in and eat and drink what they are selling.”

Parfaits and other menu items from Tropical Smoothie Cafe; courtesy photo

Atlanta-based Tropical Smoothie Cafe is a fast-casual brand founded in 1997. It now has more than 1,500 locations in 44 states, including more than a dozen in the metro, according to its website. It opened 161 new locations in 2024, with more than 70 percent led by existing franchisees. It also signed 247 new franchise agreements. 

Nation’s Restaurant News called it the snack brand of choice for Gen Z (typically considered people born in the mid-to-late 1990s and 2000s) who often opt for portable snacks. With consumers increasingly adding snack foods and afternoon binges to their daily diets, Tropical Smoothie Cafe is positioned for massive growth, the publication said.

Menu items include Dragon Fruit smoothie bowls; Acai Berry Boost smoothies; PB Banana Crunch Flatbread; Santa Fe chicken, or sausage, egg and cheese quesadillas; Thai chicken salad; and Supergreen Caesar chicken, or Caribbean jerk chicken wraps. 

Smoothie orders can be customized with a variety of supplements — vitamins, energizers, protein or collagen.

“That level of personalization is what keeps our customers coming back,” Nikki said. “My favorite smoothie, Bahama Mama, is now also a bowl.” 

Her tastes have evolved: as an “adult,” her typical order is the Detox Island Green (with spinach, kale, mango, pineapple, banana and fresh ginger).

Nikki remains thankful for the franchise support offered by the brand, she said.

“All the intricacies that go into opening. Leases, permitting, to how construction works,” she said. “All very new terms to me, but expands my base knowledge and helps me grow as a person. I have multiple meetings every single week with them, making sure I have everything set and ready to go.”

She’s hired two managers and about 10 of the 50 employees she’ll need for the two locations. Nikki also will be behind the counter several days a week whipping up smoothies and food orders. She hopes to open at least one more area location.

One surprise as a new franchisee? Just how many area franchisees are locally-owned and operated. 

“We’re your neighbors, not a big corporation. … Sometimes we forget that a well-known brand name is often backed by a small business owner in your own community,” she said. “I love my locations. I’m super excited.” 

Joanna Shawver, president/owner of Shawver Group in North Kansas City, handled the negotiations for the lease in the Calibration Brewery building. Shawver is in talks with restaurants for the south end of the building with a patio (about 5,600 square feet).

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Startland News contributor Joyce Smith covered local restaurants and retail for nearly 40 years with The Kansas City Star. Click here to follow her on Bluesky, here for X (formerly Twitter), here for Facebook, here for Instagram, and by following #joyceinkc on Threads.