Welcome And Meet Sharon

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome to another edition of Give and Ovation, the Restaurant Guest Experience Podcast. I'm your host, Zach Goates, and each week I chat with industry experts to uncover their strategies and tactics to help you create a five-star guest experience. This podcast is powered by Ovation, the AI feedback and operations platform built for multi-unit restaurants. Learn what's actually happening in your restaurants and exactly how to improve while driving revenue. And today we have Sharon Arthofer with us, and she is the founder and CEO of Sip Fresh Juice. And we are starting this podcast so late because we hopped on, and then all of a sudden, after 30 seconds, 10 minutes we're gone of chatting. Sharon, this is the first time we're meeting, but you've got such a great energy about you. And so glad you uh thanks for taking some time to come on the podcast.

SPEAKER_01 0:48

Thank you. Thank you for inviting me. I'm honored. And I know that I think Jim Mises introduced us, he introduced us, and it's a pleasure being here. So thank you.

SPEAKER_00 0:57

Anyone that Jim respects is someone that I immediately have a level 10 respect for. So, but Sharon, one of the things that we were just talking about was what is Sipfresh?

What Makes Sip Fresh Different

SPEAKER_00 1:07

Because I'm someone, I live in Utah, which means I drink a lot of soda. I also love fruit drinks when I don't want soda. And so talk to me a little bit about Sipfresh and what it is and how it's different. Because I think that you've got some really interesting propositions and love your brand, love the website, uh, love the photos, but talk to us about Sipfresh.

SPEAKER_01 1:27

Thank you. Yes. In fact, the more I think about it, the more you and I just chatted, Utah is definitely a great home for us. I hope one day we're opening soon there. Sipfresh is based on everything is handcrafted fresh fruit-based beverages. So everything we drink, or I mean everything we serve at Sipfresh starts with fresh fruit and then we expand from there. So the beauty of that is we are unique in our offerings relative to there's a lot of dirty soda, boba tea, all of that out there as a treat, I would say, or different day parts. For us, everything starts with that fresh fruit. So people come in and feel they're getting a healthy indulgence. It's kind of what we call the marriage between good for you and indulgent fun. You talk a little bit about some of the beverages you like. One of the things that we make fresh is something called a strawberry lava. So it's coconut cream, fresh strawberries, blended, and then we have our little bits and pieces that we put in there in the recipe, and we serve it up as a blended, delicious, fresh strawberry-based beverage with coconut and it is yummy.

SPEAKER_00 2:34

Is it like a smoothie or is it more like a drink?

SPEAKER_01 2:37

We call it more of a it's a specialty smoothie. It would be more like in the specialty smoothie category, but it's that same indulgent, yummy, but fresh that you were discussing a minute ago. So there's no soda in our beverages. It's all based on that fresh fruit and then other ingredients to create a really delicious, refreshing beverage.

SPEAKER_00 2:58

And what got you starting on this? I mean, I know that obviously you care about health and that's really important to you, but why did you look at the market and think sit fresh needs to exist?

SPEAKER_01 3:10

So it was

The Mixologist Origin Story

SPEAKER_01 3:11

quite a few years ago. We were sitting in a restaurant and we saw these mixologists making these very fancy cocktails, all based with a lot of fresh fruit ingredients or fruit infused. You know, everything was very different than the old pour the liquor, pour the soda, or whatever. It was a lot more complicated and beautiful, which got us thinking, got me thinking. And I started looking around. I saw that the beverage industry was growing at the time, and this was 2017. This was a gap. There was nothing like based on this cool, fresh fruit. Everything was expanding in a different area and a different category, more soda-based with ingredients, energy drinks, all of that. So I took the opportunity and I hired two mixologists and said, Here are my dream flavors. If I could have 10 or 12 flavors that I'd put on a bar, which is how our store looks, if you go to our website, sitfreshjuice.com, you'll see that we set up a big bar in the front and we had these glass barrels and they're filled with gallons of juice. So I gave them my wish list. They came up with about 20 recipes. We then went to a chef, scaled them up to a bigger quantity, you know, not making one at a time. People would be waiting quite a bit. So we made them like four to five gallon containers and started serving them up that way. And what I found was people love them.

The Bar Setup And Sampling

SPEAKER_01 4:36

They love the refreshing the one thing about Sipfresh that probably is a little different than most beverage experiences, you walk up and you see the product on the bar. So it's not somebody disappears in the back and makes it. If you want a mango juice, you walk up and arce pistas will engage you and have you sample it. So that's the first experience. Then you decide how many you want to taste, whatever. We also have the ability for you to mix and match. So we provide that great component of being able to customize your drink. Um, I want mango with pineapple today. I want cucumber mint lime with watermelon today. I just want watermelon, whatever it might be. So we really build around that.

SPEAKER_00 5:23

When I looked on the website, it kind of reminded me of like a super high-end agua fresca you would find in Mexico. Like when I went to Puerto Vallarta along the district romantic there, you've got these like giant jugs of agua fresca. But then I thought it was so unique that then you could take these healthy bases, which because those agua frescas are not healthy, but then you could take these like fun juices and add to it's as kind of this like almost chipotle style version of it, but you still have your set menu of if you don't know what you want, there's things you can get.

SPEAKER_01 5:58

Exactly. So we just basically took from that concept, if you will, we liked the presentation, but said, hey, let's elevate this way bigger than and our flavors are are such that we just did a LTO, it was a blueberry milk, so it was fresh blueberries mixed with a creamy milk that we got the antioxidants in there, uh, but you also got a refreshing beverage. So that's where we call it the health halo. So we did, we elevated it quite a bit, and we offer flavors that are not that are unique. We do a pomegranate, it's delicious. We do fresh lemonades, so we do a lot more than what one would consider agua fresca, and we really have changed how we present, and then we have these fabulous smoothies. So we either have specialty smoothies or regular smoothies, and you can add things like protein powder, all those good things for you.

SPEAKER_00 6:52

That's amazing. So, as you as you're thinking about this, because obviously, you know, you go to the brand and it looks just so clean and crisp, and you obviously have taken a lot of thought into the guest experience.

Speed Quality Accuracy And Humans

SPEAKER_00 7:04

And so, what do you think is the most important aspect of guest experience nowadays?

SPEAKER_01 7:08

That's a great question because I feel like it's a moving target depending upon the demographic as well. So I'd say everybody wants, and this is interesting, speed. They want to get in and out. I think many people want speed, at least in QSR, not in a regular full service restaurant, but from the QSR perspective. They want quality. Everybody wants value, and quality is part of that value proposition. And then they want accuracy in what they ask for. And I think those are three key things. What separates us is we really go heavy into the human component. I struggle every time I see kiosks as an order vehicle because it it takes away the guest experience. But there is a demographic that likes that. It's fast. I can get up there, I can place my order and get in and out quickly. For us, we're still married to providing that great interaction. As I said, our subistas offer samples of everything. Where else do you go to a beverage store and be able to sample before you drink it? I love that.

SPEAKER_00 8:14

Because I think, especially when people are walking by and there's that curiosity. But what happens is when the expectations don't exceed the effort required to try it out, then people are going to walk by. They're going to pass it up and they're like, I don't know what that is. I don't want to try it. But when there's, hey, you could sample this, try it out. It's like the barrier of entry goes down because they're more open to, all right, let's see what it is. I feel like 90% of people in America first tried orange chicken in a mall, right? When out with the samples, right? I feel like they, I don't know if they do that anymore since COVID, but I've never seen it. But that is how I think people were introduced to it. Because like, wow, this is like really good. And so they went in there and they got it, right? But I look at it like with what you're doing, and as you look at your different locations, because you have standalone locations, or are they all kind of in line, like with in malls and stuff like

Winning The Mall Impulse Moment

SPEAKER_00 9:10

that?

SPEAKER_01 9:10

Currently they're inline malls, and we're just embarking upon some other opportunities that will take us beyond malls. But we like the mall space. Part of it is I've been in the mall space before in my former life as a franchisee. We like that they bring people to the center, and we're an impulse purchase. So we enjoy the fact that there's going to be a lot of foot traffic in a mall that people will then, exactly as you just stated, they see it. That's the first thing that happens. So that barrier of entry is broken down completely. It's not like having to walk into four walls. It's right there. People walk by and see these beautiful barrows and like, yeah, I want to taste that. That looks delicious. There's fresh fruit floating in it. It's really yummy. So visually, it really draws people in. So we like the mall space, but we do want to test some other venues that have high foot traffic as well.

SPEAKER_00 10:04

Do you have any tips for brands that are looking to get into malls, or if maybe they're in malls, trying to think of like, how do I create a great guest experience where an impulse purchase in a mall? It's not like people are going to the mall just for a drink. I mean, uh, probably they are once they try it, but like for the first time, they're in the mall to do other things. How do you create that guest experience without a place to like sit down and really engage with that guest for a long period of time?

SPEAKER_01 10:34

You're right. It's that 10 seconds that you make or break, you know, in that very first interaction. I think we really, and this has been a philosophy of mine again for 30 years. I'm aging myself here, but if you're going to be in the retail business, I'm still a true believer in really providing that elevated 120% service and ensuring that people feel, you know, I always joke, they came in for, and no offense to Chevrolet, they came in for a Chevrolet and they're leaving with a Mercedes. And that's how they should feel, even if it's a $7 beverage. And that's what we try to deliver every time. We try to make it a really special experience for those guests, which is why I'm torn, I'm still looking at that kiosk concept. And do we miss something if we don't have that interaction? Or maybe we still get that interaction in the sampling phase and then consider another form of payment as we go down the road. But I think really giving people that very special five minutes, you've got all my attention. I look at Starbucks, you know, they've gone full circle. Now they're going back to welcome in and writing your name down and have a good day, and they're they're going back to basics with regard to spending time and giving guests, you know, that human interaction again.

SPEAKER_00 11:54

Yeah, I love that.

Brands That Nail Consistency

SPEAKER_00 11:55

Well, Sharon, I know that you know a lot of people in this industry, but I would love to get your opinion. Who is someone that deserves innovation? Who's someone that we should be following?

SPEAKER_01 12:04

I'd say a standout for me from a full service restaurant that is the most consistent I've ever seen in my life is a company called Hillstone.

SPEAKER_00 12:13

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 12:14

I don't know how they do it, but the consistency every single time you go is remarkable to me. And they've been around for a while. So they have a fairly large footprint now and they have different brands. You know, there's Houston's and I don't know, they have a bunch of them, but I do find them to be quite interesting from a full service perspective. I'd say my roots are special to me. I helped a couple of guys launch a brand called Wetzels Pretzels many years ago. They had one store, and then we started to work together a little bit on it, and then I became their first franchisee. And I'd say that started as an impulse brand in a mall. And I think that over the years and over the different ownerships, it's been an interesting brand to watch with regard to shifting from strictly impulse to really being a brand name that people know and like. And I just think they've done a good job over 30 years.

SPEAKER_00 13:12

So I mean, they're one of the two titans out there. There's uh been whittled down to two, and they both do a great job. And yeah, and I think that that's actually as you were talking, I was like, man, I think about your juice and a Wetzels pretzel, like that is just like that would be like my dream lunch right there.

SPEAKER_01 13:29

That would be a good one. Actually, you're right. We should probably be partnering. I still am involved a little bit at Wetzels, so we probably should do something together.

SPEAKER_00 13:38

There's definitely shout out to all our uh Wetzels Pretzels friends, and I've got some good friends that are franchisees over there, and obviously Bill Phelps is good friend. And so I think there's so many great things that that they've done. So uh incredible that you were there at the ground floor.

Where To Find Sip Fresh

SPEAKER_00 13:53

So, Sharon, how do people find and follow you and Sipfresh?

SPEAKER_01 13:57

I'm on LinkedIn. You can find us there, and you can find Sipfresh on LinkedIn and then www.sitfreshjuice.com. If you want to write into us, you can always write into info at sipfreshjuice.com or Sharon at Zipfresh Juice.com, either one. I've got a great team, wonderful marketing ops. We're just we're really we're expanding right now, actually. We're opening two more units in Arizona.

SPEAKER_00 14:22

Oh, nice. I saw that.

SPEAKER_01 14:26

So we have one going into Chandler Mall and one into Tanger Westgate in Arizona, Phoenix, and then the outlets at Orange in Orange County, California. So we're excited about that. And we've got several more coming up down the road.

SPEAKER_00 14:40

So awesome. Well, it's exciting to see your growth, Sharon. I can't wait for you to be in Utah. I hopefully am in uh California or Phoenix before then because I can't wait to try Sip Fresh out. But for reminding us how to juice it up with the human experience, today's ovation goes to you. Thank you for joining us on Given Ovation.

SPEAKER_01 14:58

Thank you so much.

Reviews Sponsor And Wrap Up

SPEAKER_00 15:00

Thanks for joining us today. If you like this episode, leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or your favorite place to listen. We're all about feedback here. Again, this episode was sponsored by Ovation, a two question SMS based actionable guest feedback platform built for multi unit restaurants. If you'd like to learn how we can help you measure and create a better guest experience, visit us at ovationup.com.