July 01, 2009 // Franchising.com // Davie, Florida – Ever wonder what type of restaurant a physician would choose to own? Something healthy, of course! FROOTS, a rapidly growing quick service food and smoothies franchise, announces the opening of its newest restaurant in Cedar Park, Texas. The owners are mother-daughter team Reyna Lippincott and Roxanne Klepper, along with their husbands. Reyna and husband David own Harmony Dental Lab in Austin, which David manages. He will help in the restaurant as needed. Roxanne's husband, Mark, is a pulmonologist and critical care physician in Austin. While a silent partner in the enterprise, Mark heartily approved of his family's immersion into the FROOTS business because of the healthy and fresh foods served.
The Cedar Park FROOTS restaurant opened May 4th and is located at 1335 E. Whitestone Boulevard. "Our location in the 1890 Ranch Shopping Center," said Reyna, "is next to Gold's Gym and across from Seton Hospital. We expect to attract people who will enjoy our selection of delicious and fresh foods because what we offer is a real change from most quick service restaurants."
"Every since I've had my own children," added Roxanne, mother of Carter (8) and Coco (18 months), "I've really struggled with combining convenience and nutrition. It's difficult for a busy parent to find quick service food children will like that is also good for them. FROOTS solves this dilemma and I'm so pleased to be able to offer this to my neighbors in Cedar Park."
The FROOTS restaurant franchise was created by David Lopez and has been franchising since 2004. Lopez discovered the popularity of fresh fruit smoothies while in college and turned his part-time job into a full-time passion. Besides smoothies, FROOTS offers a number of healthy food and beverage choices, making it a popular spot for families. Diners have many options for low fat and low calorie meals, and the smoothies are made with fresh berries, bananas or more exotic tropical blends. There is also a children's menu, created to please even the pickiest eaters.
The Kleppers, who live in Austin, first heard about the FROOTS concept from their neighbors, Scott and Darrine Miller. The Millers are Area Developers for FROOTS and their excitement about the business spread next door to the Kleppers. "I wasn't even considering business ownership at the time but I couldn't stop thinking about the unique products offered by FROOTS. Mark and I felt we just couldn't pass up this opportunity. I presented the idea of becoming FROOTS franchisees to my mother and step-father," said Roxanne, "and they loved the idea of a family owned and run business. So, the four of us became partners and we opened our first FROOTS store in November at 11101 Burnet Road, behind The Domain."
Reyna, a member of the Austin Board of Realtors, has a BS degree in business and management from the University of Wisconsin and is the store's operations manager. Daughter Roxanne, who has a BS degree from the University of Texas, will handle all of the catering, marketing, advertising and events for the restaurant.
"We love being able to offer unique, healthy and tasty quick service food to our community," said Reyna, "and this is just the beginning of our family business. In addition to these two locations, we plan to open another 4 or 5 stores in the Austin and the surrounding areas. Working together as a family has been a wonderful experience and FROOTS has been a valuable and helpful part of the adventure. Their support has been tremendous."
If you're been wondering why healthy, delicious food is so hard to find, maybe it's time to try a meal at FROOTS. When you're in the Cedar Park area, stop in at the 1890 Ranch Shopping Center or call 512-986-7075 to find out the daily specials.
About FROOTS
FROOTS is a quick service restaurant offering a variety of fruit smoothies, healthy gourmet wraps, salads and Paninis. Using only fresh ingredients, FROOTS creates unique flavor profiles to satisfy a culturally-diverse clientele. FROOTS Franchising, Inc., is headquartered in Davie, FL and is a privately owned company. The concept was created in 2001 by its founder and CEO, David Lopez and has been franchising since 2004. Currently there are over 40 locations in the US and international locations in Honduras, Panama, Guam, Turks & Caicos. Puerto Rico will be opening soon. Expansion plans include opening an additional 500 locations in the next five years.
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