Tropical Smoothie Cafe announced a Fort Hood concessions contract on June 22, 2026, with an existing franchisee set to own and operate the Texas location later in 2026.
Howard Raphael will lead the cafe, according to the brand’s announcement. He joined Tropical Smoothie in 2008, opening its first Raleigh location. His disclosed portfolio includes seven cafes in North Carolina, two in Florida and one at Fort Lee, Virginia.
Fort Hood follows a competitive concessions award. Tropical Smoothie says the planned cafe would become its 13th operating restaurant on a U.S. military installation. It would be its 12th in partnership with the Army & Air Force Exchange Service, or AAFES.
Those are prospective milestones. The announcement gives no opening date beyond later this year and provides no construction timetable or contract economics. It identifies the intended audience as service members, families and civilian personnel.
The award extends an existing franchisee’s work with the Exchange. Raphael brings experience operating the brand on a military installation; Fort Hood still requires a completed opening.
Fort Lee provides a completed precedent#
An official Army photo account by Terrance Bell, posted April 5, 2021 documents Raphael’s earlier base opening. He joined Fort Lee leaders and Exchange General Manager Eric Desveaux for an April 2 ribbon-cutting at the PXtra food court.
The caption describes a restaurant serving smoothies, wraps and sandwiches alongside Pizza Hut and Jimmy John’s. Desveaux said the Exchange specifically sought Tropical Smoothie because the community recognized the brand and the food court wanted more options positioned around nutrition.
At its 2021 opening, the cafe operated daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
That account shows the host’s role in selecting a concept for an existing dining mix. The cafe joined other restaurants inside a shared facility, giving the Exchange another food offering and Raphael a location within that setting.
Fort Lee’s garrison commander, Col. Karin L. Watson, and Command Sgt. Maj. James D. House also joined the ceremony. The opening brought together the franchise owner, the Exchange manager and installation leadership, identifying the institutions involved in putting the restaurant into service.
Airports use a different operating partner#
Tropical Smoothie’s nontraditional expansion also includes airport restaurants, but with a different franchise operator. A July 2, 2025, company announcement says its Asheville Regional Airport cafe opened July 1 through Paradies Lagardère.
It was the brand’s third U.S. airport cafe. The others opened at Oklahoma City’s Will Rogers International Airport in March 2022 and Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson airport in March 2024. Paradies operated all three. The operator held a VIP event in Asheville on June 20, separately from the July 1 public opening reported by the brand.
The Asheville offering included smoothies, bowls, wraps, sandwiches, flatbreads and quesadillas. The brand described food for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack occasions, showing how its food-and-beverage range was presented to travelers throughout the day.
That airport sequence illustrates expansion through a specialist operator already working in the travel channel. Paradies’ experience and Raphael’s existing base restaurant represent different routes for taking the same brand into host properties. Each route depends on its operating partner.
QSR Pro Staff
The QSR Pro editorial team covers the quick service restaurant industry with in-depth analysis, data-driven reporting, and operator-first perspective.
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