A healthcare professional and a military veteran are bringing BLENDED Smoothie & Juice Bar to Douglasville, Georgia, as the regional chain opens its second franchise unit and third store overall on Oct. 31, 2026. The 9 a.m.–6 p.m. grand opening at 3538 Highway 92, Suite B follows a ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by the Douglas County Chamber of Commerce on Oct. 28.

Co-owners Katrina Bryant — a registered nurse practitioner with more than 20 years of acute and critical care experience — and Arman Bryant, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and construction project manager, represent the kind of multi-background franchise buyer that better-for-you beverage concepts have increasingly attracted as the segment expands beyond its coastal strongholds into suburban Southern markets.

The Franchise Model

Founded by Jamie Bowman in Hiram, Georgia, in 2018, BLENDED has grown from a single storefront into a three-unit brand, opening its first franchise location in Marietta in 2025 before adding Douglasville. The Hiram flagship has earned six consecutive Best of Georgia honors from Georgia Business Journal in the Juice & Smoothie Shop category, giving the brand a credible local track record to market to prospective franchisees.

"Every BLENDED location gives us the opportunity to serve another community while helping another family build something of their own," said Jamie Bowman, founder and CEO. The brand frames its expansion around what Bowman calls "generational health and generational wealth" — a positioning that resonates with owner-operators who view the business as a long-term family asset rather than a short-term investment.

What It Means for Operators

For foodservice operators tracking the better-for-you and functional beverage space, BLENDED's suburban Georgia expansion reflects a broader trend: smaller regional smoothie and juice concepts are finding franchise traction in markets underserved by national chains. The Douglasville unit will compete in a category where consumer demand for health-forward, low-processed beverages continues to outpace overall restaurant traffic growth, making entry-level franchise costs more attractive relative to full-service concepts.

The grand opening will include free samples, giveaways, a DJ, and family-friendly activities. Guests who pre-register at the brand's website will receive a free small smoothie with any purchase during opening week — a guest-acquisition tactic increasingly common among emerging beverage-focused franchise concepts looking to build a loyalty base quickly in new markets.

Operators watching the juice-and-smoothie segment for franchise development signals will note that BLENDED's methodical unit-by-unit growth — three stores over eight years — contrasts with the rapid multi-unit deal structures favored by larger QSR franchisors, suggesting a deliberate, community-rooted scaling strategy that prioritizes operator quality over speed.

Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.