23 Jun Smooth Operation
A third Smoothie King is opening in Wichita, which will make it the second one on the east side.
Neil Bhakta, his wife, Gillian Gorges, and a third partner, Shetal Bhakta (who is not related), are opening a 1,700-square-foot store on the northeast corner of Douglas and Rock Road.
Unlike the Smoothie Kings at 3236 N. Rock Road and 8000 W. Central, this one won’t have a drive-through. "On Rock, it’s so hard to find," Neil Bhakta says. He wanted that corridor, though. "I like location over a drive-through in an off-location." Don Piros of Landmark Commercial Real Estate and Ish Tamas of J.P. Weigand & Sons handled the deal. There’s a plus to not having a drive-through as well, Bhakta says. If people have to come into the store, they’re more likely to buy Smoothie King’s nutritional supplements, he says. "Ultimately, the drive-through is better." Bhakta is going to try to drive people into the store, which will have about 10 seats.
The idea, he says, is "let’s just create a nice ambiance inside."
Look for the newest Smoothie King to open in October.
The Wichita Eagle
Carrie Rengers
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