Brandon and Deena Korman entered the restaurant business in 2004 after working in media and moving from their home in Long Island, New York. They opened their first Tropical Smoothie Café 10 years ago at 2804 College Road in the Long Leaf shopping center in Wilmington. They now have others in Leland and Shallotte.
What is tropitude?
Korman said the brand always has a tropical attitude.
“I always ask people, ‘Are we going to have a tropical day?'” he said. “It’s a relaxed, positive attitude.”
The cafe’s menu always features sunny flavors, with smoothies like the Islands Green (with kale and mango) and the Sunrise Sunset (with strawberries and pineapple), and dishes like the Thai Chicken Salad and the Caribbean Jerk Chicken Wrap. The restaurants also recently expanded their breakfast offerings and added bowls.
A growing concept
When Korman’s opened on July 14, 2004, it was just one of about 300 locations. Since then, the brand has grown to 1,300 locations, including 21 cafes in Las Vegas and 10 in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The other Wilmington-area locations are 123-15 Smith Ave. in Shallotte, 143 Poole Road in the Belville/Leland area, 130 Hays Lane in Porters Neck and 1671 N. Howe St. in Southport (which the Kormans do not own).
But they have even more plans. Ultimately, the Kormans want to open three more restaurants in Brunswick, Pender and New Hanover counties.
Presence in the community
The Kormans emphasize manual labor in the restaurants, and they have done most of the work in their stores themselves. He said it was not only a necessity, but it also helped make the restaurants part of the community.
“Over the years, we have partnered with local organizations and initiatives, raising funds and creating catering opportunities to give back to the community,” he said. Organizations such as No Kid Hungry, the Alzheimer’s Association and the American Heart Association have been supported through both national and regional fundraising campaigns.
“We were also one of the first places to have a fully online platform for booking a fundraiser,” he said, allowing anyone to host a fundraiser for a qualified nonprofit organization.
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Allison Ballard is the food and hospitality reporter for StarNews. Reach her at [email protected].
