Tropical Smoothie Cafe has appointed franchise industry veteran Joe Sieve as Chief Development & Growth Officer, tapping an experienced development and operations executive to help lead its next phase of expansion.
Sieve joined the company on July 27th and will oversee franchise development strategy and growth initiatives. His appointment comes ahead of longtime development leader Cheryl Fletcher’s planned retirement at the end of August.
The leadership transition arrives during a period of significant expansion for Tropical Smoothie Cafe. The fast-casual concept recently opened its 1,750th cafe, expanding its presence across 44 states, while maintaining a development pipeline of more than 900 future locations. The brand also earned the No. 1 Smoothie/Juice franchise ranking in Entrepreneur’s 2026 Franchise 500 for the sixth consecutive year.
Sieve most recently served as Chief Operations & Global Development Officer at Papa Johns, where he helped lead growth across a system of more than 6,000 restaurants in over 50 countries and territories. His career includes leadership roles spanning franchise development, operations and growth strategy.
“Tropical Smoothie Cafe is a brand with a lot of momentum and a strong franchise network behind it,” Sieve said.
