Tropical Smoothie opens with a flurry

The anticipation is just about over as a brand new business will finally open its doors to the Pahrump community tomorrow morning.

Tropical Smoothie Café at 1541 E. Highway 372 will be one of eight new locations opening across the state this year.

Dina Mitchell, Nevada area developer and marketing director, said the sheer demand for the products offered at Tropical Smoothie Cafe prompted the business to expand to the Pahrump Valley.

“We already knew that there was a need for premier fast food out in Pahrump. We have customers that actually come from Pahrump to Las Vegas. We wanted to be able to get out there and reach those customers and give them a healthier option,” she said.

Mitchell said that tomorrow’s grand opening will also uniquely demonstrate how the company supports the communities in which they do business.

She noted that the Nye County School District will also benefit.

Collection bins will be provided inside the restaurant to collect donations of school supplies for students where 100 percent of all donations will be given to the school district.

“Pahrump residents will quickly learn that we at Tropical Smoothie Café are about giving back to the community. Beginning on Thursday August 15, we will be offering free smoothies from 8 a.m. to 8 a.m., Friday, August 16. We feel really, really strong about always giving back to the community and paying it forward. We would not be where we are and have the success that we have without the community. We hope people who stop by can bring school supplies or even donate to the school district. It’s not required and they still get a free smoothie. Additionally, we are going to sell raffle tickets and have a silent auction items where again all of the money goes to Nye County schools,” she said.

Customers, Mitchell noted, might also win some cool door prizes.

“We will have Las Vegas show tickets as well as dinners and smoothies for an entire year. There will just be a bunch of nice stuff that people can win. More importantly, I want people to feel that by coming to our store and buying our product, they are actually giving back to the community because we do give back,” she said.

Mitchell also said that the new location provides service to local residents who do not have the traditional workday.

“In Las Vegas, we had one store that was open 24 hours and we initially thought it would not work but it actually worked. With everyone’s schedules out here in the casino and nightclub industry, they all work different hours whether they are coming home, working late or just up late. People do keep odd hours and giving them an option to have something healthy is a great idea so they don’t have an excuse for eating bad,” she said.

As for employment opportunities, Mitchell said that the location is already staffed but one never knows how things will work out.

“This particular store hired about 30 employees and not all of them will stick. Some will find that the job is not for them but we will continue to hire in order to find our base employees. How many employees we end up having, really depends on the flow of the business. Twenty to 30 employees is about average,” she said.