Q&A: Steve Schulze, Co-Founder and CEO, Nékter Juice Bar

Steve Schulze

As we approach National Green Juice Day on January 26, it is only fitting that we check in with Nékter Juice Bar CEO Steve Schulze about the steadfast success of the brand and his bullish outlook for 2024. Nékter Juice Bar, which now has more than 200 locations across the country, was founded in 2010 with its “The Greenie” juice on its menu. Today “The Greenie” remains one of Nékter’s most popular menu items joining a delicious and nutritious offering of more freshly made juices, superfood smoothies, acai bowls, and healthy snacks that help guests thrive throughout their days.

What is the latest on growth at Nékter Juice Bar?

Nékter Juice Bar continues to lead the way in the modern juice bar category by remaining true to our mission around menu transparency and ingredient integrity. With more than 200 locations in 24 states, this steadfast focus on health and wellness remains the driving force behind all that we do and is the primary factor behind our continued success and entry into more and more communities across the country.

In 2024, we anticipate opening between 40-50 new stores and that growth will be bolstered by new, innovative menu offerings, strategic expansion into new and existing markets, advanced technology solutions, and our proven ability to consistently adapt and respond to consumer preferences and wellness trends.

What key factors are behind this ongoing success and growth?

Several factors have played a significant, pivotal role in our success these past 13+ years. In addition to our focus on quality, freshness, functionality, and transparency, we are constantly adapting to changing market dynamics and consumer preferences, building on our consistent and cost-effective supply chain, and implementing robust digital and traditional marketing strategies to drive awareness and stay ahead of the competition.

How does Nékter Juice Bar use technology to grow and enhance the guest experience?

Nékter Juice Bar was an early adopter of technology having introduced our pioneering mobile app in 2016, which today has more than 2 million loyalty members. This year, we have already begun to ramp up our tech solutions to improve the guest experience while also benefitting our franchisees through enhanced operational capabilities. These advances include a new app with cutting-edge features, a new POS system to consolidate ordering platforms among other innovations, AI-supported training and data analysis, and an expanded digital marketing playbook. Ultimately, we want to leverage all this new technology to improve guest satisfaction and convenience.

What new menu items or initiatives does Nékter Juice Bar have in store for 2024?

People continue to become more educated about the power of real and fresh foods and how they can improve overall health. Functionality will continue to play a significant role on our menu in 2024. While we constantly have an eye on the latest health trends and developments, our R&D is not fad-driven and remains rooted in discovering functional ingredients that promote health and vitality. An example of this is our new “Burn Berry Burn” Raspberry Smoothie and Bowl, which include L-Carnitine*, a natural compound that helps the body turn fat into energy without the unwanted side effects and high costs of some weight-loss medications on the market today.

What is your ideal franchise partner and what makes Nékter Juice Bar an attractive franchise opportunity?

Our franchise partners are vital to our success, and we are always looking to bring in more franchisees, who share our passion for our mission and about bringing our genuine healthy living brand into their communities. Nékter Juice Bar has become one of the most successful franchise concepts in the U.S., having won multiple restaurant and franchise industry awards. In fact, we were just included in Entrepreneur Magazine’s Franchise 500 for the 8th consecutive year, following years of major recognition by Inc. Magazine, Franchise Times, Nation’s Restaurant News, Restaurant Business, Newsweek, QSR Magazine, and many more.

Moreover, Nékter has one of the category’s highest top quartile average store sales of $913,314, according to our 2023 Franchise Disclosure Statement, stemming from our robust support system, including advanced technology systems to enhance operations, digital landscape mastery to generate maximum awareness among our target audiences, comprehensive training, and full-service marketing.

Mostly, however, franchisees can tap into the power our brand’s reputation for excellence among our guests offering instant credibility and trust that keep our guests coming back for more.

For more information about franchise opportunities with Nékter, please visit https://NekterFranchising.com.