Clarksville, TN – Tropical Smoothie Cafe opened its first store in Florida in 1993. The company now has 1,400 stores across the country, and thanks to Paul and Armi Rhodes, we now have two stores in Clarksville and one at Fort Campbell.
Tropical Smoothie Cafes now have a very bright, tropical feel to them, which reflects the light, healthy options you will find on their menu. Each cafe is finished with a beach house theme, bright white walls, an open kitchen concept, vibrant colors, and tropical artwork.
The Rhodes became franchisees 7 years ago. “It will be seven years on June 29th of this year,” Paul Rhodes said. “Our first store is on Madison Street I refer to that one as my baby. We have since opened two more, one on Wilma Rudolph Boulevard, and one on post at Fort Campbell.”
On the menu, you will find amazing smoothies and food items, including wraps, sandwiches, flat-breads, and assorted bowls – like the Mango Tropiboba Bowl and the Berry Tropiboba Bowl, both of which begin with an Acai base.
Popular smoothies include the Detox Island Green, which blends fresh fruit with spinach and kale, and the Bahama Mama, a fan-favorite creamy mix of strawberries, pineapple, coconut, and white chocolate. On the food side, you can try the Chipotle Chicken Club Flatbread, the Caribbean Jerk Chicken Wrap or the Hummus Veggie Wrap, to name a few.
Near the end of Paul’s military career, he began looking for business ideas to pursue once he was out of the Army.
“I was looking to retire, and this business came up on my radar,” Rhodes said. “I was doing Army recruiting right here on Wilma Rudolph Blvd. They had built a Tropical Smoothie Cafe near one of the centers I had in Paducah, KY. After going there and sampling their products, I spent about two years learning about the company.
“Their culture, and the fact that they provided healthy alternatives, worked out well for Armi and me. We are both students of good food, but also healthy food.”
Rhodes said he didn’t get into this to get rich quick. “We did this to make an impact on our community, and provide great first jobs for our newly-employed young adults, as well as to provide more-experienced employees with a healthy work environment. We call it a drama-free work place.”
Armi retired with 20 years in and finished her time as an Army nurse. Paul finished his career with 28 years in, as a Military Policeman.
“I’m from Cincinnati, Ohio and Armi grew up in the Philippines,” Rhodes said. “Both her parents were Navy veterans. We met in the military, and have been married for more than 30 years.
“She retired in 2010 in Germany. I retired in 2018 at Fort Campbell. The draw for Clarksville – after traveling the world for more than 20 years we found this town to have a lot of the best qualities of all the military communities we had lived in over the course of our careers.
“It’s not too big, or too small. It has a lot of the amenities we enjoy. We like the small-town environment. It seems like almost everyone you know knows someone else you know. For us at this stage in life it hit all the notes that we were looking for.
“Also. Clarksville is close to the big city. Nashville is an hour away, Huntsville, Louisville, St Louis are all just 3 hours away. Cincinnati is just 5 hours away, so this is a great hub.”
Tropical Smoothie Cafe offers military, first responder, and senior discounts seasonally.
“Our stores tend to do better in the spring, summer, and fall,” Rhodes said. “But, we are committed year-round to giving back to the community. We work with local non-profits, and through the company, we work with some national organizations.
“Our business plan always included giving back to various non-profits in this great community. So come for the great food and smoothies, and help us give back to so many deserving entities in Clarksville-Montgomery County.”
You can find out more at www.tropicalsmoothiecafe.com. And, Paul says to look for the new hand-held sandwiches that are coming soon to the menu.
