THE AMERICAN DREAM
In 1923, a 16-year-old Greek boy named Gus Poulos arrived at the docks of Ellis Island from Athens, Greece. Alone in a big city. No friends. No family. No money. Full of energy and ambition. Gus quickly immersed himself in the Roaring 20's and began his journey toward the American Dream. Within three years, Gus went from working at a deli in the Yorkville section of Manhattan to owning it.
After years of hard work, Gus was able to take his first vacation and he set his sights on the sunny beaches of Cuba where he fell in love with the plentiful supply of papaya, The Aristocratic Melon of the Tropics.
When he got back to New York, Gus went looking for his beloved papayas but none could be found. Cuba was a world away by train and as a result most tropical fruits were completely unknown to New Yorkers. In 1931, after figuring out how to get fresh fruit to New York, Gus sold his deli and opened his first tropical juice store, the first tropical smoothie and juice bar in New York City called Hawaiian Tropical Drinks. Brilliant idea. But no one came. It didn't take long for New Yorkers to get hooked on the drinks (OK, the girls in hula skirts didn’t hurt!). Long lines formed outside his store and the legend of his papaya drinks spread like wildfire. In 1935, he opened another store in Brooklyn, and in 1937, he set up his third shop in Philadelphia. He started serving fresh squeezed strawberry shakes and coconut drinks mixed with papaya juice. The birth of the smoothie as we know it! Despite his success, something was missing.
Gus' first store was on 86th Street and 3rd Avenue in Manhattan (still there today), an area that was heavily populated with German and Polish immigrants at the time. One day while trying to impress a young German-American woman named "Birdie" on his newly purchased roller skates, Gus fell and badly injured his ankle. The young lass took pity on him and helped him through his recuperation which included bringing him food from the German restaurants in the neighborhood. Gus loved the food and his new girlfriend. After he and Birdie decided to marry, he introduced the frankfurter to his juice stand creating one of the most magical combinations of all time.
Gus' first store was on 86th Street and 3rd Avenue in Manhattan (still there today), an area that was heavily populated with German and Polish immigrants at the time. One day while trying to impress a young German-American woman named "Birdie" on his newly purchased roller skates, Gus fell and badly injured his ankle. The young lass took pity on him and helped him through his recuperation which included bringing him food from the German restaurants in the neighborhood. Gus loved the food and his new girlfriend. After he and Birdie decided to marry, he introduced the frankfurter to his juice stand creating one of the most magical combinations of all time.
Today, Papaya King is a NYC icon as recognizable by name as Rockefeller Center, Times Square, the Yankees...you get the idea.
We are looking for passionate franchisee partners to join our family as Papaya King embarks on writing the next chapter in its 86+ year storied history.
Below you will find out some general information about owning a Papaya King franchise.
Please visit
www.papayakingfranchising.com for additional information by clicking below.
FRANCHISE INFO.
MULTIPLE FORMATS
RETAIL FAST CASUAL/SIT DOWN FORMAT
The ideal size is 1,500 – 2,000 square feet located within strip/shopping centers, mixed use developments and/or high traffic, high volume locations in metropolitan cities, ‘destination locations’.
QUICK SERVE/KIOSK
Papaya King offers a Quick Serve, or Kiosk component as part of the franchise offering.
Potential franchisees have the opportunity to have the kiosk element as part of a franchise agreement, as an individual component, or in addition to a single or multi-unit franchise agreement.
The ideal size for potential Quick Serve/Kiosk locations are between 800 – 1,000 square feet located within a mid/large scale mall food court or as a stand alone location, i.e. in theme parks, etc.
FOOD TRUCKS
As part of the franchise offering, potential franchisees have the opportunity to add a food truck element as part of a franchise agreement, as an individual component, or in addition to a single or multi-unit franchise agreement. A Food Truck will offer a limited menu and is for street sales and is perfectly situated for high foot volume streets in major metropolitan and urban areas. It allows the operator to bring a limited Papaya King menu offering directly to the customer for increased convenience.
As part of the franchise offering, potential franchisees have the opportunity to add a food truck element as part of a franchise agreement, as an individual component, or in addition to a single or multi-unit franchise agreement. A Food Truck will offer a limited menu and is for street sales and is perfectly situated for high foot volume streets in major metropolitan and urban areas. It allows the operator to bring a limited Papaya King menu offering directly to the customer for increased convenience.
MOBILE FOOD CARTS
As part of the franchise offering, potential franchisees have the opportunity to add a Mobile Food Cart element as part of a franchise agreement, as an individual component, or in addition to a single or multi-unit franchise agreement.
A Mobile Food Cart will offer a limited menu and is for street sales and is perfectly situated for high foot volume streets in major metropolitan and urban areas.
It allows the operator to bring a limited Papaya King menu offering directly to the customer for increased convenience.
FAST CASUAL FORMAT
QUICK SERVE / KIOSK FORMAT
FOOD TRUCK FORMAT
MOBILE CART FORMAT
IDEAL LOCATIONS
We are currently seeking expansion opportunities with developers, large scale mall developers/operators, and real estate professionals for multi-unit and single-unit locations for franchisees with a goal of expanding our footprint of quick serve and full service restaurants across the United States as well as international licensing opportunities.
We are primarily interested in locations that provide service both to lunch and daytime traffic (office workers, hospitals, stadiums/lifestyle, transportation/airports and mall dining options) as well as dinner and nighttime traffic (residential and entertainment destinations).
GET STARTED NOW
If you are interested in pursuing a franchise with us and meet our minimum requirements, you should contact us by filling out the form. This form is not to be construed as an offer of a franchise. After we review your information, we will provide you with additional information about the franchise opportunity, including a copy of our current Franchise Disclosure Document and an official Franchise Application.
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