A popular smoothie joint just opened its doors in this fast-growing area near Columbia
There’s a new place to get your smoothie fix in a growing area in Irmo.
Tropical Smoothie Cafe, which has locations across the U.S., opened a new shop last week at 1180 Dutch Fork Road in Irmo in the Ballentine area. That’s in a shopping center that also is home to a Little Caesars, an Eggs Up Grill and a Dollar Tree discount shop, among others.
The storefront where the new Tropical Smoothie Cafe is located was formerly home to Hwy. 55 Burgers, Shakes and Fries. That burger restaurant closed in 2023.
Tropical Smoothie Cafe’s menu features, as you’d expect, a host of smoothie drinks, including veggie blends, fruit blends, tropical flavors and offerings geared toward kids. The cafe also offers acai bowls, yogurt bowls, breakfast items and more.
There are more than 1,300 Tropical Smoothie Cafe locations nationwide, according to the company’s franchising website. There are eight locations in the general Columbia and Lexington area.
The Dutch Fork Road area in Irmo and nearby, connecting Broad River Road have continued to see commercial growth. For instance, a new Aldi grocery store opened last year at 1169 Dutch Fork Road, and a Starbucks coffee shop opened right in front of the Aldi. A Whataburger restaurant — the first in the Midlands — will open Sept. 9 at 1189 Dutch Fork Road, and a Wendy’s restaurant is under construction on nearby Broad River Road.
The area is west of Interstate 26, and about 28,000 cars per day travel down that section of Dutch Fork Road, per S.C. Department of Transportation data.
The new Dutch Fork Road Tropical Smoothie is open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturday and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday, according to its website.
