With four locations surrounding the city, Denver will finally get its own Smoothie King in early spring, sitting in the city’s expanding northeast at 9165 Northfield Blvd. The Mile High City and the fitness-centered fast casual restaurant make sense for franchisee Josh Martin, a former NFL linebacker who is jumping into his first first franchise venture.
“I credit nutrition for a big part of my carer,” Martin told What Now Denver. “I live and breathe health, wellness, and fitness, and I grew up in Denver, so it made sense to come back to where my career started.”
Before starring as an Ivy League defensive lineman for the Columbia Lions, Martin was raised in Aurora, eventually, starring at Cherokee Trail High School, earning all-conference accolades on both offense and defense along the way (per his Columbia player page).
As an undrafted free agent that carved out an NFL career from 2013 to 2019, Martin said that a large part of his success came from an intense nutritional focus. After this career, Martin found Smoothie King through his sister and now business partner, Gabby Martin.
“I liked what I saw,” Martin said. “They’re purpose driven, offer quality ingredients, and they’ve go the ‘no-no list’ — what they don’t have in their smoothies.”
Founded in Louisiana in 1973, Smoothie King began taking steps to remove sugars, syrups, and other additives to drinks in the late 2010s, instead focusing on whole ingredients (per Smoothie King). Today, the franchise’s webpage espouses only including “whole fruits, organic veggies, and our purposeful powders” into each smoothie that’s build for “a specific purpose.” Dozens of menu options fall under categories like, “Feel Energized Blends,” “Get Fit Blends,” and “Manage Weight Blends.”
In addition to the menu, the location also lies nearby several local high schools where Martin hopes to have an impact — an opportunity to give back to the place where he grew up.
“Both of my parents were educators. Leveraging my background as a former professional athlete and a student athlete is something that is very important to me,” Martin said.
Construction is supposed to kick off next week towards a late March or an early April opening date. Keep an eye out for a grand opening celebration to welcome power meals to northeast Denver in about three months.
