Residents have warmed up to icy treats

If you look at the numbers, one would think there should be a small glacier out behind the Andalusia Tropical Smoothie location to keep it operational.

Each of the restaurant’s regular-sized smoothies requires 24 ounces of “the good ice – you know the kind, the small kind” be placed inside the ice machine and ground to slivers of coolness, according to assistant store manager Stephanie Moceri.

“We sell, on average, 2,038 smoothies per week,” she said.

If you do the math, that’s more than 3,000 pounds of ice – not to mention the fruit that goes inside selections like the Sunny Day with its mango, banana, orange and kiwi, or the Blue Lagoon with its blueberries, strawberries and banana.

“I can’t begin to tell you how much fruit we use in a week,” Moceri said. “Really that depends on customer demand. We order to fill our shelves. But I can tell you the two most popular smoothies are the Kiwi Quencher and Bahama Quencher.”

The store offers low-fat smoothies filled with a variety of fruits; “supercharged” smoothies with proteins and special additives; and “indulgent” smoothies with – yes – chocolate, coffee and cappuccino inside.

Moreci said there is a common misconception about the store.

“We don’t sell just smoothies here,” she said. “A lot of people still don’t get that we sell food – good food – here. It’s healthy, too, but more importantly, it tastes good.”

The restaurant offers flatbreads, wraps and toasted sandwiches, as well as a kids’ menu.

“I just got up the nerve to try the Wasabi Caesar roast beef sandwhich,” Moreci said. “Wasbi, I knew, was usually hot, but when it’s mixed with the Caesar dressing, put together with the pepper jack cheese and 4 ounces of meat – that sandwich is out of this world.”

And don’t think that the eatery is a typical fast food restaurant.

“The only thing fast about us is the time it takes for us to get the food on your table or that smoothie in your hand,” Moreci said.