FRANCHISE INFORMATION REPORT
FRESH, LOCAL AND HEALTHY FRANCHISE OPPORTUNITY
FRANCHISE INFORMATION REPORT
CONTENTS
I Love Juice Bar — The Nation’s Best Juice Bar Franchise
1
What Is I Love Juice Bar?
3
the I Love Juice Bar Story
5
How Big Is the Juice and Smoothie Industry?
7
I Love Juice Bar Startup Costs
9
How Much Can I Make?
11
What Territories Are Available?
14
What’s Special About Our Menu?
17
Who Buys Fresh Juice?
19
Customers Love I Love Juice Bar
20
What Training and Support is Offered?
22
A Day with an I Love Juice Bar Owner
24
Can I Scale I Love Juice Bar?
25
Technology Is Huge Advantage For I Love Juice Bar Franchise 26
How do I Finance my Franchise?
28
Who is an Ideal Juicing Franchise Owner?
29
I Love Juice Bar Franchise FAQs
30
Meet the Management Team
31
Next Steps
32
ILOVEJUICEBAR.COM
I LOVE JUICE BAR — THE NATION’S BEST
JUICE BAR FRANCHISE
Strong branding, powerhouse leadership team and gourmet
approach have helped I Love Juice Bar win over customers and
franchisees.
Juicing is red hot. Juice bars have become a
magnet for millions of Americans who are
looking for healthier dining choices and who
are eager for food that is authentic, local
and nutritious. The marketplace is huge.
Americans spend $5 billion a year on juicing,
according to a 2012 article by Barrons.com,
which noted that the industry is growing
between 4% and 8% each year.
The demand has encouraged a lot of
people to open juicing businesses, particularly
on the East and West coasts. So what makes
us different, and special?
When John and Vui Hunt started the first I
Love Juice Bar, they created a gathering place
for health-minded customers: people who
appreciate fresh-made juices and smoothies
made with local ingredients, as well as
gourmet vegetarian fare such as fresh salads,
spring rolls and soups. The business boomed
from the start, and the company began
opening additional locations and franchises.
They also created a strong brand and a
strong business model, built around a passion
for helping people live healthier lives. “If you
are passionate about what you do, profit
usually follows,” John says.
WHY INVESTORS LOVE I LOVE
JUICE BAR
The first store was always hopping, and that
attracted investors, too. In its first full year of
operation, I Love Juice Bar’s Brentwood store
generated $1,295,953 in sales. Considering
that estimated startup costs for a single
locations range from $170,860 to $302,800,
that makes I Love Juice Bar a compelling
franchise opportunity. Even though our first
store opened in 2013, we expect to have 35 by
the end of 2015.
Barry Goodman, who has owned more than
175 franchise locations during his career, saw
the crowds at I Love Juice Bar, analyzed the
franchise opportunity and became our very
first franchisee.
Michael Bodnar was one of the biggest
franchisees for Wendy’s, and he started his
own company in 2009 to invest in great new
restaurant concepts. His wife, thanks to her,
insisted that he check out I Love Juice Bar. He
liked what he saw and decided to partner with
the Hunts to help the brand grow nationwide.
Michael’s company, Fresh Hospitality,
leverages technology and management
expertise to help made-to-order restaurants
manage their ordering, staffing and other
business processes to boost profits.
Pro football player Cortland Finnegan is
another partner in I Love Juice Bar and our
expansion. He discovered us as a customer.
As an elite NFL cornerback, he knows the
importance of nutrition and exercise for peak
performance, and that’s what attracted him
to I Love Juice Bar. It didn’t take long, though,
before the Samford graduate recognized that
I Love Juice Bar represented a great business
opportunity. Customers don’t just stop in at
I Love Juice Bar — they linger. They hang out
with their friends and make new ones. I Love
Juice Bar has achieved a sought-after status —
becoming a “third place” where people gather
when they aren’t at home or work, a relaxed
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FRANCHISE INFORMATION REPORT
haven for healthy-minded people.
Cortland saw a brand with tremendous
growth potential as well as the ability to help
build healthier communities. He invested in I
Love Juice Bar and plans to make it a key part
of his post-NFL career. He hopes to leverage
his celebrity status to help build relationships
that bringing juicing to schools and
organizations, and he is encouraging other
athletes to do the same in their communities.
THE GROWING MARKET FOR
HEALTHY FOODS
Americans are seeking healthy foods.
According to a 2012 report by food industry
researcher Technomic, 64% of Americans
agree that it is important to eat healthy and
pay attention to nutrition. That’s up from
57% just two years earlier. Fifty-six percent of
survey respondents said they ate local foods
once a week in 2012 (up from 47% in 2010),
and 55% said they ate natural foods once a
week in 2012 (up from 44% in 2010).
Americans have demonstrated a deep
desire to get back to simpler foods that are
not heavily processed, that they know, and
that they can trust. It’s part of the same trend
that has made farm-to-table increasingly
2
popular. People want to know that their food
is fresh, that it is ripe, and that it was grown
by local or regional farmers rather than
shipped halfway around the world by a giant
conglomerate.
I Love Juice Bar helps franchisees develop
relationships with local farmers where
possible and uses recipes that showcase fresh
and often local produce. Everything is made
fresh in the store — the most popular fresh
juices are made on-going all day long for
customers who need a healthy grab-and-go
solution, and all other juices and smoothies
we serve are made-to-order. That provides the
freshest possible juice and allows customers
to customize their juices to their tastes or
nutritional desires.
HOW DO I INQUIRE ABOUT
A FRANCHISE?
If you have a passion for health and want to
bring something new to your community, you
may be a great I Love Juice Bar franchisee.
Startup costs range from $170,500 to
$302,000 depending on the location, and you
should have $60,000 in liquid capital and a net
worth of at least $300,000 to get started.
ILOVEJUICEBAR.COM
WHAT IS I LOVE JUICE BAR?
Fast-growing juice bar franchise has ma jor backing, big plans.
I Love Juice Bar is a healthy franchise that
offers fresh-made juices to customers who
prefer food options that are nutritious,
delicious and convenient. I Love Juice Bar’s
first location generated $1,295,953 in sales in
its first full year of operation. Here’s how.
When John and Vui Hunt decided to open a
juice bar, they had a lot of experience to draw
on. Vui had owned and operated Veggieland,
a successful restaurant in Atlanta’s Buckhead
neighborhood, while John had headed up
companies doing everything from computerprogrammer headhunting to private label
manufacturing of cosmetic brushes and
related accessories for global cosmetics
retailers.
“I had done everything but restaurants,
but with her background it made sense,”
John says. “So we began looking around for
a property that would let us start small and
build something we could be proud of.”
When the Hunts found a struggling
sandwich shop for sale in a busy corner
of Brentwood, they knew that, in spite of
the previous business’ struggles, they had
found a good location. But they did not want
a sandwich shop; they wanted to create
something healthy. John had improved his
own health — in fact, he lost fifty pounds —
by making fresh juices every day, and the
couple realized that a fresh juice bar would be
perfect.
“There are a lot of places out there that
sell smoothies, but what they’ve got is full of
sugar and corn syrup, even ice as a filler,” John
explains – “even many juice places don’t have
great flavors and/or make lower cost juices”.
“We wanted to offer an honest, authentic,
chef-driven, all-natural, actually-helps-you
product! We believed that juices — and other
healthy, natural menu items that went well
with them — would work for us and for our
restaurant.”
RIGHT IDEA, RIGHT TIME
A lot of people would have slapped up a
sign, bought a couple of juicing machines
and called it a business, but John and Vui
are experienced entrepreneurs with plenty
of success under their belts. They started by
developing a brand.
What should customers experience when
they walk into an I Love Juice Bar? How
should they feel when they see the logo? How
should customers flow through the space?
What should the menu boards look like? How
should the juices, smoothies and vegetarian
fare be presented? How should the kitchen be
designed to help staff serve customers quickly
without bumping into each other? How would
they get fresh, local produce every day? What
music and colors are congruent to space and
support the brand vibe?
In the process of answering those
questions, they created a truly iconic brand
and a space that is welcoming, homey and
rich with gorgeous images and beautiful
menu items that customers can’t wait to share
on social media using their smartphones.
Since they know their customers are almost
always carrying smartphones, John and Vui
also created an app that lets customers place
orders on their way to the store. Think about
it from a customer’s perspective: Roll out of
bed, throw on your work ensemble, place a
quick juice order on your phone, then swing
through to pick up your fresh-to-order juice
or smoothie. Goodbye, sausage biscuit; hello,
healthy breakfast! Pretty great, huh?
Nationwide, juicing has become a $5 billion
industry. No longer just for dieters looking to
cleanse for a few days, juicing has become
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FRANCHISE INFORMATION REPORT
a healthy diet option for a wide range of
consumers, including people in their 20s and
30s who are expected to keep this booming
restaurant sector growing by 4% to 8% a year.
That’s why I Love Juice Bar is on track to
have 35 franchises open by the end of 2015,
and why entrepreneur Barry Goodman was
thrilled to open the first I Love Juice Bar
franchise in Huntsville, Alabama.
“I think we could put a table in the back
of the first store and set up a sign that said
‘Interested in franchising?’ and we would sell
stores left and right,” Barry says. “This place
is always full, with lines out the door. People
get excited here. People like what they get,
they talk about it, and overall it’s a very unique
customer experience.”
“People are coming here because they
want to eat something better, and have it
made quickly and happily,” John adds. “They
appreciate that what we serve is healthy,
but that it’s also tasty, quick and reasonably
priced. They come and go, but they also come
and hang out. We’ve become not just a place
for great, healthy food, but a center of activity
for people who are increasingly embracing
that whole lifestyle.”
WHY JUICE CUSTOMERS ARE GREAT
FOR BUSINESS
After opening in April 2013, the Hunts knew
they were onto something. New customers
became repeat customers, and sales increased
4
quickly. That’s thanks to the excellence of the
menu and operations, and it reflects a fact
about juicing customers — normal everyday
people who are increasingly serious about
fresh juice and begin to consume it every day,
and sometimes for every meal. The rate of
repeat business is strong, and that leads to a
sense of community among customers and
staff. Whereas a good smoothie customer
might stop in two or three times a week, a
regular juicing customer stops in every day
and purchases one or two juices a day. If they
are doing a juice cleanse, they buy even more
— up to six juices a day, which translates to
more than 40 juices a week per customer.
“We were thrilled that we were getting
customers who are interested not just in
juicing, but in a whole, healthy lifestyle,”
John says. “They simply want to eat well and
know they are eating well — not just every
so often, but all the time — and we have
that in common with them. It’s a very good
relationship.”
The made-to-order juices and other
menu items showcase not only Vui’s culinary
expertise, but also a commitment to locally
and regionally sourced ingredients, and at
the highest quality. Customers see, and taste,
the difference. In fact, after just over a year
in operation, more than 5,300 of them had
already signed up for the Brentwood I Love
Juice Bar’s loyalty program!
ILOVEJUICEBAR.COM
THE I LOVE JUICE BAR STORY
How a young brand is quickly growing into a powerhouse
Building a successful business is nothing
new for John and Vui Hunt. John had
been successful as a global private-label
manufacturer for major retailers in the
cosmetics industry. Vui had run a successful
vegetarian restaurant in Atlanta. It was the
need to build a successful business that led to
I Love Juice Bar.
Not long into the couple’s marriage, the
family moved to China when John was offered
a management position with a consumer
products company. Unfortunately, just a
couple of months in, the company decided
to downsize. As one of the last men in, John
became one of the first men out. Stress took
a toll. He was eating poorly and gained 50
pounds.
“One night around 11 p.m. I found myself
on the couch, eating cookies and ice cream
looking for relief,” John says. “I stumbled on
the documentary Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead,
and it just rung my bell. The guy in it went on a
two-month juice cleanse and documented it. It
really inspired me.”
Thanks to Vui’s restaurant background (she
owned and operated Veggieland in Atlanta for
many years), the Hunts happened to have a
commercial juicer in the garage. Two weeks
and a mini-cleanse later, John and Vui knew
what their next business venture would be.
They found a little sandwich shop tucked in a
corner of Brentwood in early 2013, and I Love
Juice Bar was born.
AN IMPRESSIVE BUSINESS
From the start, I Love Juice Bar was a hit. Most
days the lines stretch out into the parking lot,
but the regulars don’t mind waiting – and not
very long. They know they’re getting fresh,
healthy juice, as well as other gourmet treats
that Vui has dreamed up to complement the
juice menu.
I Love Juice Bar quickly attracted investors
who wanted to help the Hunts grow the
brand. NFL cornerback Cortland Finnegan,
who lives near the original I Love Juice Bar
in Brentwood, Tennessee, started out as a
customer and liked the concept so much
that he decided to invest some of his career
earnings to support the growth of the brand.
He has also become a brand ambassador, and
hopes to help build partnerships schools and
youth organizations. He also hopes to help
other athletes build businesses that boost
their communities.
The brand also came to the attention of
Fresh Hospitality Inc. Michael Bodnar has been
a franchising guru for 40 years, having started
out as one of the first Wendy’s franchisees.
His operational genius made him a go-to for
turning around underperforming locations
or entire companies. He also founded a
technology business that helps restaurant
owners track their back-office operations.
Together with his son, Matt, a former analyst
for Goldman Sachs, he founded Fresh
Hospitality to invest in restaurants that
specialize in freshly prepared food.
By pairing the Bodnars’ systems, Cortland’s
investment and celebrity, and John and Vui’s
innovative branding, menu and outstanding
customer service, I Love Juice Bar has been
able to quickly expand. A string of savvy
entrepreneurs are already opening I Love
Juice Bars throughout the Southeast. It’s rare
that such a young concept gets so much
backing — not only from franchising experts,
but from entrepreneurs who are well versed
in successful concept expansion. That’s how
impressed investors have been by I Love Juice
Bar’s brand promise.
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FRANCHISE INFORMATION REPORT
NATIONAL AMBITION, COMMUNITY FOCUS
Even with all their success, John and Vui know
that juicing is a very personal lifestyle choice,
and they work hard to make sure that each
and every customer is able to find his or her
way to better living.
“We help people by providing a great
product — quickly — that is tasty and good for
them. Just because many people these days
6
are in a hurry does not mean that we should
not still be able to eat well,” John says. “People
bring us thank-you cards, telling us how they
lost weight or how they were able to stop
taking as many medications because their
health improved. That’s really what we want to
do for our customers. That, and offer a great
experience daily.” ILOVEJUICEBAR.COM
HOW BIG IS THE JUICE AND
SMOOTHIE INDUSTRY?
Juicing and smoothies already generate billions in sales each
year, and the segments are growing
Juicing accounts for more than $5 billion
a year in the United States alone. That’s
billion. With a B. And it’s growing daily.
Many suppliers are single-store operations,
but there is a growing number of juice bar
franchise operations, as well.
Why is that? Because just as the coffee
shop craze started here and there and then
grew until there seemed be one on every
corner, so will it be with juice bar franchises.
And I Love Juice Bar looks to take the trend
by storm and stay successful long after other
players fall out of the market.
What’s more, an I Love Juice Bar franchise
will likely be even more successful than its java
counterpart. The crowd that haunts coffee
shops also is looking for a fresh, healthful way
to eat more fruits and vegetables. They’ve
found juice, and when they find a place they
like, they become repeat customers. They also
tell their friends with social media, so a juice
bar franchise with a savvy social presence
quickly becomes a destination for many
different demographics.
That bears repeating. For a culture that is
ever more busy and perpetually on the go,
as well as increasingly health conscious, the
juice bar franchise is not just a lifestyle stop,
but also a gathering place. People are turning
away from packaged and canned sugary
drinks loaded with high-fructose corn syrup
and artificial flavorings. They are reading
labels. The vitamin-rich, nutritious alternative
is becoming the mainstream choice. Natural
sugars, natural ingredients are the calling
cards for people who want more green in their
diet, but who don’t have the time or desire to
hit the farmers market and cook up all those
vegetables.
How big is that group? Well, according to
Technomic’s Healthy Eating Consumer Trend
Report, 64% of consumers polled in 2012
agreed that it was important to eat healthy
and pay attention to nutrition. That’s up from
57% in 2010. Now pair that with the farmfresh products found at I Love Juice Bar,
plus the personal service and advice that
customers get from staff members who know
their product. The result? Strong sales and
customer loyalty.
JUICES GRAB GROWING
MARKET SHARE
That combination of healthy food and trendy
meeting spot packs a serious economic punch.
As premium coffee did before them, premium
“cold-crafted” juices are commanding a
greater and greater market share. When even
Starbucks is trying to jump on the smoothie
and juices train, you know growth potential is
strong. Venture capitalists have targeted the
industry as the next big thing, which means
that more and more people will be looking for
opportunities to cash in.
That’s already happening in markets like
New York City, always a good bellwether for
cultural shifts. Franchises on the ground are
on their way to doubling their number of
locations in the coming months.
What once was the domain of raw foodies
and uber-health geeks has expanded into
a populist, and very commercial, trend.
And while there surely will be many players
entering the market, there is no dominant
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FRANCHISE INFORMATION REPORT
presence as yet. That’s largely due to the
mixed-menu concepts already out there,
where juices are a side item next to premixed
smoothies, desserts, coffee and other “grab
and go” items. Concepts like I Love Juice Bar,
which focus first and foremost on fresh juice
8
drinks, and whose smoothies are equally
healthful, already stand out with consumers.
At the end of the day, that will be what
separates a successful franchise operation
from the “me, too” shops that will quickly
open, and close.
ILOVEJUICEBAR.COM
I LOVE JUICE BAR STARTUP COSTS
A detailed look at I Love Juice Bar startup costs
That combination of healthy food and trendy
meeting spot packs a serious economic punch.
As premium coffee did before them, premium
“cold-crafted” juices are commanding a
greater and greater market share. When even
Starbucks is trying to jump on the smoothie
and juices train, you know growth potential is
strong. Venture capitalists have targeted the
industry as the next big thing, which means
that more and more people will be looking for
opportunities to cash in.
The chart below provides estimated
startup costs for an I Love Juice Bar location,
based upon your choice of location, local
market rates and the amount of money we
recommend you reserve as cash for the first
few months of operation.
SINGLE STORE BUYER
Type of Expenditure
Low
High
Initial Franchise Fee
25,000
25,000
Real Estate
6,000
12,000
Architect and Blueprint Fees
2,500
7,000
500
2,000
40,000
90,000
Signs and Menu Boards
5,000
12,000
POS System and Office Equipment
7,000
13,000
50,000
75,000
Utility Deposits and Sales Tax Bonds
1,000
3,000
Opening Stock (Inventory)
4,000
6,000
Small Wares
3,500
6,000
Expenses While Training
1,000
6,000
-
2,000
20,000
35,000
5,000
8,000
170,860
302,805
Building Permits
Tenant Improvements
Furniture, Fixtures and Other Equipment
Grand Opening Event
Additional Funds - Prior to and for 3 Months After Opening
Insurance
Total
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FRANCHISE INFORMATION REPORT
AREA DEVELOPER DEALS
Area Development
Total
495,580
879,415
35,000
65,000
Real Estate
6,000
36,000
Architect and Blueprint Fees
2,500
21,000
500
6,000
40,000
270,000
Signs and Menu Boards
5,000
36,000
POS System and Office Equipment
7,000
39,000
50,000
225,000
Utility Deposits and Sales Tax Bonds
1,000
7,500
Opening Stock (Inventory)
4,000
18,000
Small Wares
3,500
18,000
Expenses While Training
1,000
18,000
-
6,000
20,000
87,500
5,000
20,000
495,580
879,415
Initial Franchise Fee
Building Permits
Tenant Improvements
Furniture, Fixtures and Other Equipment
Grand Opening Event
Additional Funds - Prior to and for 3 Months After Opening
Insurance
Total
It’s worth noting: The estimates are based
on the experience of I Love Juice Bar CEO
John Hunt, as well as the four decades of
franchising experience held by the leaders
of I Love Juice Bar’s parent company, Fresh
Hospitality.
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While the startup costs are presented as a
range, your startup costs will almost certainly
be somewhere in the middle. That does not
mean that you need to have $170,860 in the
bank to get started. If you have a liquid assets
of $60,000, a net worth of $300,000 and a
good credit rating, you may qualify to open an
I Love Juice Bar.
ILOVEJUICEBAR.COM
HOW MUCH CAN I MAKE?
Strong margins, high volume and low spoilage rates help drive
profits for I Love Juice Bar franchise owners.
How much can you make as the owner of
an I Love Juice Bar? Like any small business,
success depends on a variety of factors — a
great location, proven systems for operating
your business, and a friendly and engaging
owner and staff who make I Love Juice Bar a
gathering place for the community.
Juicing generated about $5 billion a year
in sales in 2012, according to an article by
Barron’s. I Love Juice Bar debuted in April
2013, and our very first location generated
$1,295,953 in revenue in 2014, its first full
year. We can’t promise that you’ll duplicate
our results — but we can share exactly how
we achieved those results and can provide
training, coaching, on-going support and
marketing expertise to help you make a big
splash with your own store.
Of course, top line revenue is only
part of the picture. To give you a better
understanding of the business opportunity,
here is a chart from the Item 19 section of
our Franchise Disclosure Document, outlining
expenses and income, too:
Brentwood, TN
$
Average Weekly Sales
%
24,922
SALES
Cash Sales
1,291,115
99.6%
4,838
0.4%
1,295,953
100.0%
393,152
30.3%
69,589
5.4%
462,741
35.7%
48,536
0.9%
156,550
12.1%
Salaries - Crew O/T
161
0.0%
Total Store Payroll
205,247
15.8%
24,185
1.9%
229,432
17.7%
Comps
Total Sales
COST OF SALES:
Food Cost
Supplies
Total Cost of Sales
LABOR:
Salaries - Management
Salaries - Crew
Taxes and Employee Benefits
Total Labor Cost
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FRANCHISE INFORMATION REPORT
Brentwood, TN
PRIME COST
692,173
53.4%
GROSS PROFIT
603,780
46.6%
Marketing and Advertising
32,791
2.5%
Utilities
17,318
1.3%
9,896
0.8%
Credit Card Service
23,576
1.8%
General and Admin Expenses
18,562
1.4%
Services and Direct Operating Expenses
29,221
2.3%
Total Other Controllable Expenses
131,364
10.1%
CONTROLLABLE INCOME
472,416
36.8%
Other Controllable Expenses:
Repairs and Maintenance
Here’s a look at the factors that drive the numbers for an I Love Juice Bar owner:
STRONG MARGINS
REPEAT BUSINESS
Fresh-made juice is a premium product that
is capable of delivering a strong profit margin.
By purchasing fruits and vegetables in bulk,
we are able to buy at wholesale prices that are
far lower than what our customers would pay
if they were buying all of the fresh vegetables
that goes into our juices. Because we are able
to buy produce at a significant discount, we
are able to sell fresh-made juices to customers
for a price that is similar to what they would
pay if they were juicing at home, while still
enjoying a significant margin.
I Love Juice Bar customers are devoted to
healthy foods, and when they find a spot that
offers a delicious and healthy menu — as well
as a comfortable hangout for like-minded
spirits — they make it a second home.
I Love Juice Bar sees many of its customers
every single day — and some make multiple
stops, picking up breakfast and lunch juices
in the morning, then stopping by after work
to grab a salad or spring rolls for dinner. We
become part of our customers’ lifestyle and
a key ally in their quest for better health. Our
customers really do “Love” Juice Bar, and we
love them right back.
Repeat customers help drive word-ofmouth and boost revenues for I Love Juice
Bar owners, and they also become part of our
community..
To fully gauge the financial potential of I
Love Juice Bar, we encourage you to fill out the
form at right and get in touch with us. That will
give us a chance to meet you and introduce
ourselves. Then, if you’re interested, we can
discuss the numbers at corporate-owned
locations in the Nashville area and put you
in touch with franchisees. We welcome your
interest!
HIGH AVERAGE TICKETS
During its first year in operation, the average
ticket was $12 for I Love Juice Bar customers.
That’s because a typical customer buys
more than one juice. They will grab a juice
for breakfast and one for lunch; a juice and
a healthy snack; and they might add power
shots or essential oils to their juice in order to
obtain specific nutritional benefits.
Our customers are willing to pay for
premium, natural ingredients because they
see juices and smoothies not just as food, but
as an investment in their health.
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ILOVEJUICEBAR.COM
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FRANCHISE INFORMATION REPORT
WHAT TERRITORIES ARE AVAILABLE?
I Love Juice Bar has prime territories available throughout
the United States
I Love Juice Bar started with one location in
Brentwood, Tennessee, in 2013, and we are
already growing quickly. We expect to have
35 locations by the end of 2015 — and we are
looking for great franchise partners who can
help us reach cities nationwide over the next
few years.
I Love Juice Bar has created a distinctive,
welcoming brand that is bursting with
positive energy and has become a magnet for
customers.
Jenny Adams and her husband, Philip,
are bringing I Love Juice Bar to Columbus,
Georgia, after first experiencing the brand as
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customers in Brentwood. Jenny was in town
for a college reunion, and a friend was eager
to take Jenny to her new favorite spot. “She
told me, ‘I go several times a week, and I’m
hooked on juice now.’ We walked in, and it
was hopping. There was an amazing energy
in the place. People in line were so happy to
be there; the people behind the counter were
happy folks.” Jenny tried a smoothie, “which
was amazing,” and then ordered several
juices. She took a “We Got the Beet” juice
home to her husband in Columbus, and he
was impressed, too.
They started researching the brand and
ILOVEJUICEBAR.COM
learning more about the health benefits of
juicing. They quickly realized that it was a
great business opportunity.
“We are so excited about opening an I Love
Juice Bar in Columbus, and hopefully opening
more locations in Georgia and Alabama,” she
says. “We love it.”
WHAT WE LOOK FOR IN A LOCATION
I Love Juice Bar attracts middle-income to
high-income customers who are looking for
the best nutrients and freshest natural flavors.
A typical location will be around 1,500 square
feet, located in a high-traffic area with good
visibility. We also look for area with a high
density of upper-income residents. Nearby
gyms, yoga studios and natural food stores
also draw customers who are likely to stop by
an I Love Juice Bar.
Neighborhoods like this exist in all corners
of the United States. We can help you
identify promising areas in your area. For a
rough picture of the opportunity, consider
this map from the U.S. Census Bureau,
showing counties with a median household
income of $50,000 or higher in 2012. Each
of those counties is full of higher-income
neighborhoods full of people who would
eagerly embrace a high-quality juice bar.
“It’s a huge opportunity,” Jenny says. “The
structure they are putting in place makes it
almost a turnkey operation, and a lot of the
buying power and vendor relationships that
John and his team have established make it
easy for an investor to come in and go from
signed agreement to serving their first cup
of juice.”
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FRANCHISE INFORMATION REPORT
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ILOVEJUICEBAR.COM
WHAT’S SPECIAL ABOUT OUR MENU?
Natural ingredients and attention to detail set I Love Juice Bar
menu apart
I Love Juice Bar is not the first juice franchise
around, but it’s different — and better — in
many ways. Let’s start with the menu.
First of all, I Love Juice Bar makes all of its
juices, smoothies and other menu items in
the restaurant, all day, every day. We make
up a fresh batch of our most popular juice
blends first thing so people who come in early
can grab their favorite and head back out the
door. Fresh juices and smoothies are made on
demand all day long.
Many juice or smoothie franchise
operations rely on pre-mixed syrups and
other base ingredients. Not I Love Juice Bar.
The fruits and vegetables in our blends are
trucked in daily, with many items coming from
local farms and vendors. We believe the closer
to home, the better when it comes to our raw
ingredients.
We also know that juice is best when
it’s consumed as soon as possible. We
recommend customers drink their juice within
20 minutes of our making it, because that’s
when the raw ingredients are at their peak.
(Think about how a raw apple turns brown
soon after it’s cut; that’s oxidation, which
means that the nutritional value is beginning
to deteriorate. The same goes with juices.)
Even more important, our juices and
smoothies have no added sugars. Compare
that to other juice or smoothie franchises,
which use canned fruits stored in sugary
corn syrup, and then still add sugar and
“flavor shots” — or produce that has been
powderized, or juiced, canned and shipped
in. Aside from offering little nutritional value,
many of their drinks have more than a day’s
worth of sugar in one serving.
QUALITY INGREDIENTS = SUPERIOR
SALES
Juice franchises are doing better today than
ever before. A $5 billion industry, sales are
expected to rise between 4 percent and 8
percent in the coming years thanks to strong
interest from people in their 20s and 30s who
are expected to make juicing a regular lifestyle
choice versus a fad.
The I Love Juice Bar menu works well
in this space. From unique juice blends to
the ability for customers to build their own
concoctions, the menu is designed to offer
many entry points to veteran and novice
juicers. Average ticket prices at the original
I Love Juice franchise location in Brentwood
were $12, and there are more than 5,300
people participating in the restaurant’s loyalty
program, which means guests are spending
that much, or more, several times a week.
Juice cleanses remain popular with dieters,
as well, creating a strong secondary revenue
stream for the I Love Juice Bar juice franchise.
The $45.89 a day option (Mason jars included)
is one of the most popular cleanse options
at the original location, and is seeing strong
interest in franchise operations, as well.
“We offer an honest, authentic, actuallyhelps-you product,” says John Hunt, who
founded I Love Juice Bar with his wife, Vui, a
vegetarian chef and restaurateur. “We have a
passion for our own health and have created
a space where like-minded people can find
tasty, reasonably priced juices and food that
enable their own healthy lifestyles.”
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FRANCHISE INFORMATION REPORT
18
ILOVEJUICEBAR.COM
WHO BUYS FRESH JUICE?
As Americans seek out healthier dining
options, they have flocked to juice bars and
smoothie bars. I Love Juice Bar customers
become regulars because they know that they
can enjoy delicious foods that aren’t full of
trans fats, high-fructose corn syrup, additives
and preservatives — and all the negative
health effects that come with them.
Diners are looking for places they can
trust — places that provide convenience,
flavor, nutrition, and a friendly and welcoming
environment. When you deliver on those
counts, people can’t get enough.
JUICE BARS APPEAL TO YOUNG AND
OLD ALIKE
I Love Juice Bar customers are motivated by
health and by community. These customers
are willing and able to pay more for the best
and most nutritious items. They realize that by
paying a little more for quality, they can stay
stronger and healthier. That’s true both for
people who are uber-fit, and for people who
are trying to get there. Many customers grab
one or two juices every day. Customers who
are in the midst of a juice cleanse buy four to
six juices a day. Their repeat business adds up,
creating strong revenue for franchisees.
Customers also come back frequently
because they enjoy the atmosphere at I Love
Juice Bar. Locations are designed to feel like
an artisanal home-away-from-home, and
customers are greeted warmly by employees
who love the fact that they are helping people
live healthier lives.
When they can, customers will grab a
table and visit with their friends (and they’ll
probably become fast friends with the people
behind the counter. Of course, customers
are often in a hurry — and that’s one of the
reasons I Love Juice Bar is so beloved by
customers. We continually make our most
popular juices so that fresh juices are ready
to go all day long. That allows customers to
grab a fresh juice and be back out the door in
just a minute or two. The convenience attracts
customers to I Love Juice Bar, and the ability to
quickly serve customers allows franchisees to
serve more people and earn more revenue.
ADDITIONAL MENU ITEMS BROADEN
APPEAL
I Love Juice Bar is popular with customers for
another reason, too: We offer smoothies and
vegetarian fare, using the same high-quality
ingredients and the same approach to both
taste and nutrition. Smoothies, by themselves,
are a $2.4 billion industry in the United
States, and our gourmet smoothies are unlike
anything you’ll find elsewhere, with unique
flavor profiles that jump off the tongue. Our
spring rolls and soups add another dimension,
appealing to people looking for a satisfying
crunch or a warm and savory meal. The soups,
in particular, help draw in customers who
want a healthy meal, but who may also be
looking for something hearty on a cold day.
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FRANCHISE INFORMATION REPORT
CUSTOMERS LOVE I LOVE JUICE BAR
See what customers have to say about the I Love Juice Bar
franchise
The reviews are in, and when it comes to a
juice franchise, I love Juice Bar is well ahead of
its competitors.
The fresh ingredients, no added sugar and
the ability to choose from a pre-set mix of
ingredients or customize their own juice blend
has customers raving about I Love Juice Bar.
Here’s what they’re saying:
FRESH JUICES AND MENU ITEMS
“I Love Juice Bar brought me back from the
brink,” writes Kara F. of Redondo Beach,
California. “I was on a road trip and was eating
my way through the states. The service was
excellent; the juices were freshly made and
delicious. I felt amazing the rest of the day.
Should life ever carry me back to Brentwood,
rest assured I’ll be back.”
“You can tell they put a lot into the best
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combinations for their drinks,” adds Courtneay
L. of Nashville. “Better than Turnip Truck,
Whole Foods and the Urban Juicer. Another
plus is the owners are so kind and thoughtful;
they always make a point to say hello and get
to know you.”
SERVICE STANDS OUT
Even the highest quality product can’t sell
itself, and I Love Juice Bar sets itself apart in
terms of guest satisfaction.
“The customer service is top-notch,” says
Kristi R. of Nashville. “I truly appreciate a
business that appreciates and values its
customers. I will gladly drive the extra miles
and pay a little bit more to support owners
like this who deliver a superior product and
excellent customer service.”
The loyalty program, which lets digital
ILOVEJUICEBAR.COM
punch-card holders get a free large juice or
smoothie after nine visits is a hit as well, with
many online commenters nothing that they’d
fill up their card in a week if only I Love Juice
Bar were open longer hours!
BUILDING A COMMUNITY
Once people get plugged into the benefits of
juicing, whether it’s for weight loss or just to
eat better, they’re usually hooked. At I Love
Juice Bar, a community has built up both
online and in person. Customers meet at the
original Brentwood location or through social
media to share new favorite juice blends or to
encourage each other as they work through
specific goals.
Whether it’s on Yelp, Instagram, Facebook
or Twitter, the comments are uniformly
positive, no matter what aspect of I Love Juice
Bar is being discussed. That’s rewarding for
owners John and Vui Hunt, who wanted to
build a “mom and pop” business that others
could open too, that was not only good
for family, but also a valuable asset to the
community.
“We have poured ourselves into I Love Juice
Bar, and we’re thrilled with the wide range
of people who have found us and who come
back with their friends,” John says. “We are
focused on a healthy lifestyle and want to
provide options for people who want that, as
well. Based on what we’re hearing, we believe
that we’re succeeding. We are focused on
providing tasty, quick, reasonably priced and,
most of all, healthy juices, smoothies and
foods to our customers, and that will never
change.”
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FRANCHISE INFORMATION REPORT
WHAT TRAINING AND SUPPORT IS
OFFERED?
An overview of the training and support offered by I Love
Juice Bar
In addition to the benefits of being part of a
growing brand, the other reason people enjoy
owning franchise businesses is because of
the training and support that if offered by the
franchise system. So what kind of training and
support does I Love Juice Bar offer?
Here’s a look at some of the biggest
benefits:
A STRONG BRAND
Jim Keet, who owns multiple Taziki’s
Mediterranean Cafes in Arkansas, is in the
process of bringing I Love Juice Bar to that
market. As a successful restaurateur, one of
the things that impresses Keet about I Love
Juice Bar is that its founders, John and Vui
Hunt, have created an extremely strong brand
with strong word-of-mouth and a powerful
presence in social media. “But it’s also the
little things,” he says, “Like the logo, the bright
colors and the easy-to-read menu boards.
Everything is very streamlined.”
I Love Juice Bar stands out as a place where
customers can buzz in and out for a quick,
convenient juice, but many of our customers
choose to sit and visit, making I Love Juice
Bar a home away from home. The good vibe
and relaxed atmosphere is contagious and
keeps customers coming back. Our systems
allow us to serve customers quickly — but our
atmosphere and passion ensure that a lot of
them will want to stick around and become
friends.
POWERFUL SYSTEMS
I Love Juice Bar offers remarkable systems
that are proven thanks to 40 years of
refinement. Even though I Love Juice Bar
22
started in 2013, it is backed by executives who
have helped build restaurant concepts since
the early 1970s. In early 2014, Nashville-based
Fresh Hospitality partnered in I Love Juice Bar,
and we are leveraging Fresh Hospitality’s vast
experience and systems to drive success for
franchisees.
Fresh Hospitality is led by Michael Bodnar,
who helped lead Shoney’s in the 1970s
and also became one of the first Wendy’s
franchisees. He helped the brand grow in the
South and became a turnaround specialist
who helped struggling locations achieve
success. He eventually founded a software
company that provided Back Office Software
for huge franchise systems and other
restaurants nationwide.
With the help of his son, Matt Bodnar, those
systems have become ever more refined over
the years. Today, Fresh Hospitality uses its
tools and experience to grow promising, highquality brands. Among the many strengths
of their systems: predicting demand so
restaurant owners can anticipate staffing and
ordering needs, thus controlling labor costs
and reducing food spoilage — both of which
help drive profitability.
HANDS-ON TRAINING
I Love Juice Bar offers hands-on training to
franchisees and store managers. Our training
has two basic goals: Turning you into a juicing
expert, and teaching you how to use the tools
you’ll need to manage your business and drive
profits.
We teach you how to prep fruits and
vegetables so that you can offer extremely
fast service during peak times. We teach you
ILOVEJUICEBAR.COM
about the nutritional benefits of various fruits,
vegetables and essential oils so you will be
able to create custom smoothies and juices to
meet your customers’ desires.
We also teach you how to build sales
and product projections, how to manage
inventory, ordering and invoicing, how to audit
your hourly labor rate, and how to create
screamingly fast P&L statements so you can
identify issues in real time, rather than waiting
weeks and months to find out if something
has gone askew — or if something is going
great that you should make an everyday part
of your business!!
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FRANCHISE INFORMATION REPORT
A DAY WITH AN I LOVE JUICE BAR
OWNER
Read what it’s like to operate an I Love Juice Bar
What is the average day like for an I Love Juice
Bar franchise owner? From accepting produce
orders and preparing juices and smoothies to
getting to know customers and their tastes, it’s
busy — and fulfilling.
When John and Vui Hunt began I Love Juice
Bar in a former sandwich shop tucked away
in Brentwood, Tennessee, they both had
enough business experience to that know long
days lay ahead. Vui had owned and operated
Veggieland restaurant in Atlanta, while John
had previously headed up several ventures.
Now that they are helping others set up their
own juice bar franchises, they have plenty of
sound advice.
“People want to be entrepreneurs, but
they sometimes think that means opening
up, hiring a few employees and then enjoying
owning their business and having more free
time,” says John. “Well, good luck with that. We
worked super long and hard not just setting
up I Love Juice Bar, but on everything from
carefully choosing the colors to the logo to
how the menu offerings would be broad but
not confusing, and focused but offer lots of
range, And we still spend a lot of time there,
because we want to meet our customers, and
we want to hear what they would like us to
add, change — or never change!”
TRIAL RUN PREPS NEW FRANCHISE
OWNER
When Jenny Adams decided she wanted
to open an I Love Juice Bar franchise
in Columbus, Georgia, she came to the
Brentwood restaurant to spend some time
with the Hunts and to get some hands-on
experience. She left not only confident that
she’d made the right choice, but with a new
24
appreciation of the concept the Hunts had
built.
“They asked me to come out and
experience the concept,” Jenny says. “They
wanted me to come in and work a day to
make sure this was up my alley before all the
lawyers got involved and the agreements were
signed. That just inflamed my desire.”
She got to the restaurant at 5:30 a.m., two
hours before opening, just as the delivery
trucks arrived.
“I have never seen that much produce in
my life,” Jenny says. “And then they told me
that was the first of two deliveries each day!
By 7:30 a.m. they had made spring rolls, kale
and quinoa salad and fresh juices, and people
were knocking at the door.”
Over the course of her on-the-job training,
Jenny watched repeat customers interact
with the Hunts and their staff, as well as new
visitors get enthusiastic about juicing.
“I watched people’s reactions, listened to
the team members and told Vui later that
today that what they had was magic,” Jenny
says. “The way that people work as a team,
it’s almost like a choreographed dance. I
also watched Vui make a custom juice for a
woman to take home to her mother, who was
recovering from an illness. She explained why
it would be good for her.”
Seeing those interactions only cemented
Jenny’s desire to be a part of the I Love Juice
Bar family.
“When I left at 3 p.m., I realized I hadn’t sat
down all day,” she recalls. “But it didn’t seem
like I’d been on my feet all day. It was just
fantastic.”
ILOVEJUICEBAR.COM
CAN I SCALE I LOVE JUICE BAR?
I Love Juice Bar’s simple operations make it a great match for
multi-unit operators.
I Love Juice Bar’s simple business model and
robust support systems make it an ideal multiunit franchise opportunity, and several of our
first franchisees have big plans for the brand:
Jim Keet, who owns several Taziki’s
Mediterranean Cafes in Little Rock, Arkansas,
plans to open his first I Love Juice Bar location
in 2015.
“Our growth plan will be sales-driven and
-centric like everything is, but I think Little
Rock and the surrounding area could handle
five or six I Love Juice Bar locations,” he says.
“It’s a small footprint, so we think once we find
that perfect first location, we can grow out
from there pretty quickly.”
Philip Russ, who owns several locations
of a boutique women’s fitness concept in
Atlanta, is bringing I Love Juice Bar to locations
nearby to complement his current success.
He and his business partner, Matt Calamari,
expect to open their first two locations in early
2015. Once they have proven that they can be
successful with the concept, they then hope to
grow the brand throughout not only Atlanta,
but several other markets in the Southeast.
“There is a solid market for healthy living. I
think the opportunity in Atlanta will be good
because this segment is not a secret anymore.
Large companies are making an investment
in this area, and it’s a growing market. More
people are willing to get into it, and we think
that it’s an underserved market,” he says.
“People want healthier options that taste
good, and even though we know there’s going
to be competition, we think there are also lots
of opportunities.”
I Love Juice Bar CEO John Hunt, who cofounded the brand with his wife, Vui, in 2013,
is a multi-unit owner himself. In addition
to their original location in Brentwood,
Tennessee, they have opened additional spots
in the Nashville area and have plans for more.
“Once you have established supply chains
and vendors, with a little more work it’s fairly
simple to add locations,” he says. “One of the
things that makes I Love Juice Bar special is
that, in addition to attracting happy, healthy
customers, we also attract healthy, happy
employees, and with some supervision and
training, an I Love Juice Bar location can be
run very effectively by a store manager.”
I Love Juice Bar uses a propriety back office
suite of restaurant tools developed by Fresh
Hospitality that synchronize with readily
available point of sale systems. Fresh has
pioneered back-office support software for
decades. The system makes it easy to track
important data, gauge financial performance
and make adjustments — and the information
is available quickly. Rather than waiting
until the end of the month to generate P&L
statements, you can create a “flash P&L” that
provides a real-time glimpse into business
performance. Those insights help multi-unit
owners manage their managers effectively
without data lags that can lead to lost
opportunities.
“The systems we are able to provide to both
single-unit owners and multi-unit owners are
state-of-the-art,” John says. 25
FRANCHISE INFORMATION REPORT
TECHNOLOGY IS HUGE ADVANTAGE FOR
I LOVE JUICE BAR FRANCHISE
Sophisticated software makes it easier to manage restaurant,
spot inventory issues, predict dining trends, and handle staffing.
I Love Juice Bar has an amazing menu and a
welcoming atmosphere that attract customers
and keeps them coming back — but that’s not
the only positive powering success for I Love
Juice Bar franchise owners.
One of the key advantages that I Love
Juice Bar offers to franchisees is a robust
technology platform that makes it much easier
to manage your restaurant, control costs, plan
ahead, and maximize profits.
One of the partners in the I Love Juice
Bar franchise is a company called Fresh
Hospitality. Fresh consists of veteran
restaurant executives, who together, have
overseen well over 1,000 restaurants, and
who have developed systems to help large
restaurant chains manage their business.
One of the keys to the Fresh team’s success
is the sophisticated software platform that
they have developed — and which I Love Juice
Bar franchisees use to run their businesses.
Here’s a look at some of the key
components of the software:
INVENTORY TRACKING
Tracking inventory is key to running a
profitable restaurant business. Every item
that you bring into your restaurant represents
both cost-of-goods and an expected profit.
Many restaurateurs struggle to reconcile their
inventory costs with their expected revenue
at the end of the month. It can be an arduous
process if you are trying to track everything
manually, or using primitive software,
which is why many restaurant owners only
reconcile the numbers once a month. That
makes it much harder to spot irregularities
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in the business, which can be very costly. For
instance, you may have an employee who is
mistakenly using three apples for a recipe
instead of two. Over the course of a month,
the costs of all those extra apples add up, to
the point where a simple recipe mistake can
costs you hundreds of dollars.
Fresh Hospitality’s technology dashboard
(Fresh Tools), which is customized for I
Love Juice Bar, allows you to track your
inventory and receipts in real-time and flags
discrepancies so you can quickly investigate
and correct problems.
Our technology platform knows what
ingredients should be used for every menu
item (and how much of each ingredient should
be used). That allows the software to calculate
the cost to make each menu item, the amount
of various ingredients that should go into
those items, and the expected profit margin.
The software compares expected usage
against current inventory in the store. When
one of the variables waiver, an I Love Juice Bar
franchise owner and/or manager will see a red
flag and correct the problem quickly to keep
expenses low.
“A typical restaurant will lose 3 to 4 percent
of their inventory as waste,” says Matt Bodnar,
a founding partner of Fresh Hospitality. “Our
systems aim to keep than figure under 1
percent — which makes a huge difference in
profit.”
ILOVEJUICEBAR.COM
AUTOMATION SIMPLIFIES
OVERSIGHT
Another advantage: Automation. That’s
especially beneficial for multi-unit owners and
others who cannot be at the restaurant fulltime.
Molly James is a good example. She owns
a Taziki’s Mediterranean Cafe (another Fresh
Hospitality affiliated brand) near Nashville,
Tennessee, and is opening an I Love Juice
Bar near downtown Nashville. She also has
a newborn. The Fresh Technology Platform
allows her to check in on her restaurant
remotely.
The system also makes it much easier to
schedule staff. It is easy to roll schedules
forward and make quick adjustments, and
the software tracks the performance of
employees. For instance, if a lot more spring
rolls are sold during a particular employee’s
shifts, the franchisee or manager will be
able to spot that trend and learn what that
employee is doing differently. The software
can also spot times when employees work
extra hours — were they there because
the juice bar is extremely busy and making
money? If so, that’s great. If not, the manager
can react to the data and send employees
home.
The software can spot trends and help
you prepare for the day. For starters, your
previous day’s sales will be waiting in your
email inbox when you wake each day.
And, the software offers another form of
automation that is also incredibly powerful:
the power to accurately forecast what your
juice bar will need on a given day. .The
technology platform tracks customer sales
trends for each menu item, which allows you
to anticipate how many customers will be
in your store at any given time, and which
items they are likely to order. The software
can tell you what to prep and when, so you
can stay ahead during crunch times. Accurate
predictions allow you to serve customers
quickly without over-preparing.
Most impressively, the software is flexible.
It adjusts real-time with your input, to account
for weather forecasts, and how weather can
affect your business. It also allows franchisees
or managers to input their own critical data.
For instance, if your community is hosting
a half-marathon on Saturday that starts or
ends near your juice bar, you can increase
projections and the software will adjust to
account for the influx of runners eager for a
healthy meal before or after the run.
PREPARING FOR THE WEEK AHEAD
As a week comes to a close, you will
immediately have data about how much
inventory was consumed, how much you sold,
your projected profit margin and how that
compared to your actual profit margin, and
data about which menu items gained more
popularity, and when customers were coming
to your I Love Juice Bar.
Armed with that data, you can now make
a forecast for the following week that allows
you to order appropriately (keeping inventory
tight to maximize your money, and also staff
appropriately (scheduling employees when
they are needed, keeping labor costs down).
How long does it take to pull all that data
together at the end of the week and make a
smart business forecast?
Molly James says that before she became
a franchisee of I Love Juice Bar and Taziki’s,
she helped manage a barbecue restaurant
that was part of Fresh. “Before we had these
tools, we did everything manually on an Excel
spreadsheet,” she says. “To get ready for the
next week, there were hours of data analysis
and data entry. With Fresh Tools, it can take 5
to 10 minutes.”
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FRANCHISE INFORMATION REPORT
HOW DO I FINANCE MY FRANCHISE?
Juice franchise owners can choose among a variety of
financing options
You don’t have to have trucks full of cash to
start an I Love Juice Bar franchise, because
there are a lot of options for financing your
business. Here’s a look at some of the most
common places people turn for startup funds:
Local and community banks. Local
financial institutions know your community
and understand the local marketplace, so
they are usually comfortable lending to local
entrepreneurs who have a solid business plan
and a good credit rating.
Small Business Administration loans.
SBA loans are backed by the government,
which reduces much of the risk for banks.
Interest rates tend to be relatively low, but the
documentation requirements are extensive,
and you must provide full collateral for your
loan amount.
Home equity line of credit.
If you have equity in your home, you can tap
it to help fund your business. HELOCs have
many advantages. They are highly flexible
and sometimes have no specific repayment
schedule, which makes it easier for you to
manage cash flow during your business’
startup phase. You will need to show your
bank that you have the income to repay
the loan, and your projected earnings as a
business owner won’t count in the bank’s
calculations.
Retirement funds.
Did you know that you can tap into your
retirement funds to start a business without
incurring financial penalties for early
withdrawal? It requires some tricky financial
maneuvering (including the creation of a
C corporation and corporate retirement
28
account, and the movement of corporate
stocks), but it has the benefit of allowing you
to sidestep banks altogether and make a loan
to yourself. As your business grows, you repay
your retirement account.
Cash.
If you have enough money, you can bypass
financing altogether. However, you will want
to make sure you have substantial cash in
reserve to navigate the startup phase of
the business. If you have just enough cash
to cover initial startup costs, you should
consider financing a portion of the investment
to conserve working capital. Of the many,
many ways in which franchises outperform
independent businesses, one way is very
simple: realistic financial modeling that helps
new business owners set themselves up to
be able to grind out the startup phase of the
business.
MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR
STARTING AN I LOVE JUICE BAR
FRANCHISE
Startup costs for an I Love Juice Bar franchise
range from $170,860 to $302,803. Franchise
candidates need a minimum net worth of
$60,000 and at least $300,000 in liquid capital.
We’re happy to help you explore your options. ILOVEJUICEBAR.COM
WHO IS AN IDEAL JUICING FRANCHISE
OWNER?
What does I Love Juice Bar look for when we’re considering a
juicing franchise partnership? Passion and caring.
I Love Juice Bar’s founders and first
franchisees share several attributes: They
have strong business backgrounds, they
recognize a market opportunity and they are
eager to grow a strong brand. At their core,
though, they are united by passion for health,
wellness and community.
“I Love Juice Bar is a strong business, and
part of the reason is that we are so sincere in
our desire to create a healthy and supportive
oasis for our customers,” CEO John Hunt
says. “If you are choosing between opening a
juice bar and opening a frozen yogurt place,
you’re probably not the right candidate. Our
franchisees need to be passionate about
creating a place that exudes healthiness,
energy and positivity.”
Consider someone like NFL cornerback
Cortland Finnegan. Cortland started out as
an I Love Juice Bar customer while he was
playing for the St. Louis Rams. The Samford
graduate fell in love with the products and the
environment, and he soon fell in love with the
business opportunity, too.
He plans to make I Love Juice Bar a big
part of his post-NFL career. He is now a
partner in I Love Juice Bar, and his investment
has provided a strong base for supporting
franchisees as we grow. He is also using his
celebrity status to educate the community
about the nutritional value of juicing.
Barry Goodman is another great example
of a passionate franchisee. He has owned
more than a hundred exercise franchise
businesses in the past, and in August 2013,
his brother called him to tell him about I Love
Juice Bar.
“He’d lost 29 pounds juicing,” Barry says.
“I went over and looked around and realized
that John and Vui Hunt had a tiger by the tail.
My brother looked better than I’d ever seen
him, so I got myself some juices to give it a try.
While I was there, I saw the line going out the
door. I knew I needed to get involved with it,
because I am passionate about wellness and
weight loss.”
Barry now owns an I Love Juice Bar location
in Huntsville, Alabama, Knoxville, Tennessee,
and is also bringing I Love Juice Bar to
Louisville, Kentucky.
Jenny and Philip Adams are bringing our
juicing franchise to Columbus, Georgia.
“There is nothing like it in our marketplace,”
Jenny says. “I feel like we are really going to be
introducing Columbus to a whole new world.
It’s like taking blinders off of someone’s eyes
that there is a great way to fill your body with
such great nutrients and do it in a way that is
quick and portable and fun.”
Are you passionate about health and
nutrition, and eager to create a haven for likeminded people in your community?
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FRANCHISE INFORMATION REPORT
I LOVE JUICE BAR FRANCHISE FAQS
Quick answers to common questions about the I Love Juice Bar
franchise opportunity
What makes I Love Juice Bar different from
other juice bars?
What happens after I fill out a form on
ilovejuicebar.com?
I Love Juice Bar owners benefit from smart
marketing, strong systems and the backing of
experienced franchising executives who bring
four decades of operational and managerial
excellence to our brand, and provide a
wealth of experience and expertise for our
franchisees. I Love Juice Bar also uses fresh
produce in its juices and smoothies, and
makes juices fresh-to-order all day long —
which puts us in the upper echelon of juice
bars. What separates us is business savvy,
which allows us to provide not just great menu
items, but a consistently great experience.
You’ll receive an email from us with an
invitation to download our free franchise
report — a document that explains our
business model and opportunity in detail.
You can email or print it to share with friends,
family or others who can help you decide if it’s
the right opportunity for you.
We’ll also call you so that we can learn
about you and give you a chance to ask us any
questions you may have.
How much does the franchise cost?
The estimated startup costs for an I Love
Juice Bar franchise range from $170,860 to
$302,800, depending on the location and
local commercial real estate rates. That range
represents low- and high-end estimates —
the actual startup costs will be somewhere in
between for most new I Love Juice Bar owners.
How much money do I need to have to get
started?
Franchise candidates should have liquid
assets of $60,000 and a minimum net worth of
$300,000 in order to start an I Love Juice Bar
franchise location.
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How much are royalties?
Franchisees pay a royalty of 5% and an
advertising fee of 1%. The royalty fee supports
headquarters operations and helps us
continue to develop the brand and strengthen
support. The advertising fee is used to develop
marketing materials and execute marketing
activities — such as website development,
social media outreach and public relations —
on behalf of franchisees.
What kind of location do you recommend for
an I Love Juice Bar?
We recommend an approximately
1,500-square-foot retail space in a high-middle
to high-income area with plenty of traffic. We
can assist franchisees in finding and assessing
potential locations. Once a location is found,
we can provide customized floor plans based
on our knowledge of how your space will need
to be arranged for maximum efficiency and
the best customer experience.
ILOVEJUICEBAR.COM
MEET THE MANAGEMENT TEAM
John Hunt, co-founder and CEO
John is a successful entrepreneur who owned
a company that imported furniture from
Indonesia, then started a company – and the
factory – that manufactures national brand
makeup brushes and accessories for the
world’s largest cosmetics retailers. Before
founding I Love Juice Bar with his wife, Vui,
John consulted for clients in the restaurant
industry, food manufacturing and consumer
products manufacturing, with a focus on
business start ups, brand development,
marketing strategy, operations, and growth
and development.
Vui Hunt, founder and executive chief
Vui is an extraordinary, bona fide chef who
develops all menu items for I Love Juice
Bar and brings warmth, unending energy
and culinary expertise to the brand. Before
meeting and marrying John, she owned and
operated Veggieland — a popular vegetarian
restaurant in Atlanta’s chic Buckhead
neighborhood. Vui and John worked together
to develop I Love Juice Bar, crafting a warm,
welcoming and earthy feel that draws
customers in.
Cortland Finnegan, partner
Cortland is currently best known as a star
cornerback in the NFL, but he is also a
businessman who has invested in I Love
Juice Bar and is helping us grow the brand.
Cortland has a passion for health and fitness,
and is hoping to help I Love Juice Bar partner
with schools and other organizations that can
introduce healthy eating to children. He is also
sharing the I Love Juice Bar story with fellow
athletes to help them transition into new
careers that leverage their celebrity status to
help improve their communities.
Michael Bodnar, founding partner, Fresh
Hospitality
Michael Bodnar has been making a huge
impact in the restaurant and hospitality
industry since the early 1970s, when he
started as a Shoney’s executive before
becoming an early Wendy’s franchisee. While
in that role, he founded a company, which
became Restaurant Systems Incorporated,
that provided software used to more
effectively and profitably manage restaurants.
Michael now invests in promising brands, and
offer his management expertise and technical
know-how to help those brands grow.
Matt Bodnar, founding partner, Fresh
Hospitality
Matt Bodnar is the author of “Location Based
Marketing for Restaurants” and co-founder
of MyRestaurantInsight, which provides
bookkeeping and administrative services
to multi-unit operators. He also previously
worked as an import/export consultant at
AOKY in Nanjing, China and traded interest
rate derivates at Goldman Sachs. “Our
experience developing systems for new and
multi-unit operators, paired with John and
Vui’s marketing and branding talent, is one of
the reasons we’re confident that I Love Juice
Bar will become the premiere juice bar in
America.”
Rusty Rushton, COO of Fresh Hospitality
Rusty brings a wealth of restaurant industry
management experience to his role of COO
for Fresh Hospitality. After starting as an
hourly employee for a food business in 1976,
he quickly moved up the ranks. He served as
director of operations for Wendy’s locations
in Seattle and Portland. He then became a
franchisee for Wendy’s in Mississippi until
selling in 2002. In 2009 he opened a Taziki’s
Mediterranean Cafe in Morgantown, West
Virginia.
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FRANCHISE INFORMATION REPORT
NEXT STEPS
What is I Love Juice Bar’s process for awarding a franchise?
I Love Juice Bar works hard to make sure that
new franchisees are going to be a great fit
for the brand, are going to enjoy what they
do and are going to have a strong chance to
succeed — and that’s why we follow a process
to help you learn about us, and to help us
learn about you, before awarding a franchise
Here’s what the process looks like:
Step 1: Get in touch with us
If you have not already left us your contact
information, please click here and let us know
how and when it is best to contact you. If
you have left us your contact information,
you should be receiving a call from a
representative from I Love Juice Bar within the
next 24 hours. Please take their call and we
will start discussing how your objectives may
be met as an I Love Juice Bar franchisee.
Step 2: Fill out an application form
If it seems like we might be a good fit, we’ll
send you an application form. It’s not a
contract. It provides more details about you
and allows us to assess whether you meet
the general financial qualifications to open
an I Love Juice Bar, and it also enables us to
learn more about you. By taking the time to
screen franchise candidates, we can ensure
that only great folks join our franchise system
— people who will help keep the brand strong
for everyone.
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Step 3: A review of our Franchise Disclosure
Document
The next step is for us to provide you a copy
of our Franchise Disclosure Document. If
you’ve never seen one before, you might be
surprised by its length and content. Frankly,
it’s long and somewhat complicated, which is
the result of the requirements of the Federal
Trade Commission. They require a lot of
specific content. We will walk you through all
23 sections of the FDD and will answer your
questions. Before you sign a deal with us, we
also encourage you to review the document
with an accountant or an attorney who
specializes in franchising.
Step 4: Get to know the family
Joining a franchise system is sort of like joining
a family — some are a joy and others are not.
That’s why you should absolutely talk to some
franchisees before making a final decision.
Ask them anything! They’ll share their stories
and can provide valuable insights about their
experiences starting the business, how their
performance has matched their expectations,
anything they might do differently, what they
love about the franchise and where they may
see room for improvement.
Step 5: Visit us at headquarters
Once you’re ready and are ready to fill out
a financial application, we’ll invite you to
a Discovery Day at our headquarters in
Brentwood, Tennessee. You’ll get to see I
ILOVEJUICEBAR.COM
Love Juice Bar in action, will have a chance
to visit stores in the Nashville area and will
learn about the systems and support that help
franchisees achieve the best results.
Step 6: Find a location
If everyone agrees that we are a fit, two
weeks after Discovery Day, we’ll offer you
a franchise. Once you sign on, it’s time to
find a location, start building out your store,
schedule your training and prepare for a
Grand Opening marketing push.
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