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How Tropical Smoothie uses tech to provide old-school hospitality

Charles Watson reveals how the 800-unit chain balances the use of technology with providing the "homespun experience" that his customers expect.

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December 2, 2019

Meeting customer expectations is something that keeps Charles Watson, CEO of Tropical Smoothie Cafe, up at night. During an interview at the Fast Casual Executive Summit with Tim Tang of Hughes, he discussed how the 800-unit chain uses technology to offer speedy service while also providing the "homespun experience" that his customers expect.

"he best way is to have lots of money, Tim, and to invest like my colleagues at Dominos, Chipotle and Chick-fil-A," Watson said with a laugh. "That's the easiest way to attack it. For those of us who are not at that scale, we have to eat the elephant one bite at a time."