Tropical Smoothie Cafe is the latest food option to hit the congested stretch of Washtenaw that runs from Huron Pkwy. to Arborland. The openings and closings here can often be read as reflections of mass cultural shifts, as once-literate Borders books gave way to the bargain-centric Five Below, fast food went organic at Elevation Burger, and the coming of the huge Indian grocery Patel Brothers confirmed that South Asians are a trending local demographic.
This Tropical Smoothie franchise, Ann Arbor’s third, is owned by Ken Patton and Kathy Turetzky; it’s the forty-fourth in Michigan, and Patton estimates there are around 500 in the country. Next door to Wheels in Motion, which owns the space and was using it for storage, it has the latest Tropical Smoothie bright airy design, with wood floors, a lot of shiny white, and windows across the entire front. Nothing at Tropical Smoothie is over $7. Smoothies for any diet are available (Patton’s own fave is the Avocolada–avocado, coconut, pineapple, kale, spinach, and lime juice), but so is solid food: sandwiches on wraps, flat bread, and a few even with traditional bread, as well as some breakfast sandwiches.
Tropical Smoothie Cafe, 3400 Washtenaw, 418-2333. Mon.-Fri. 7 a.m.-9 p.m., Sat. 8 a.m.-9 p.m., Sun. 9 a.m.-9 p.m. tropicalsmoothie.com