Scott Borland has big plans for the Jamba Juice name on Long Island.
The St. James resident has acquired the franchise rights to Jamba Juice smoothie and juice cafés in all of Suffolk, Nassau, Brooklyn and Queens, and he's starting right here in Stony Brook with a location at 2460 Nesconset Highway.
"The location is great," he said. "Near Stony Brook University. The high school is close. It's a very busy center."
The 1,600-square-foot space, once home to a deli, is a little bigger than what Borland said would typically be the ideal size for a Jamba Juice storefront because its Long Island headquarters will also be housed there.
The store's target open date is Oct. 18; while Borland said he already has a general manager for the store, he said it is still looking for shift leaders and staff members. More information on hiring can be found on its website.
By this time next year, he said, he hopes to have three or four more Jamba Juice locations up and running. Other possible locations include Huntington Village, Mt. Sinai, and Commack. Borland is also in the process of prepping a truck for events, catering, and other opportunities.
"It's really a meal replacement," Borland said. "It's a healthy alternative to some other quick fast foods."
Jamba Juice was launched in California in 1992, and has since expanded to Texas, Florida, Kentucky, and Indiana. Outside of a mall location in Garden City and a terminal location at John F. Kennedy International Airport, the Stony Brook location will be the first storefront on Long Island.
Jamba Juice won't be the only smoothie joint around. Red Mango, with locations in Stony Brook and Port Jefferson, also offers smoothies. And some may point to Tropical Smoothie Café – which has locations in Port Jefferson Station, Smithtown, and Centereach, and which also serves smoothies and food – as Jamba Juice's main competitor, but Borland said he is confident the Jamba Juice product will stand out.
"I don't think anybody's really our competitor," he said. "It's just a really great product."
