The store, part of a national franchise, will feature made-to-order fruit smoothies, as well as sandwiches, flatbreads and salads, she said.

“All the food and smoothies are fresh,” Buko said. “There’s no greasy food on our menu.”

The location, which used to be a Blimpie sandwich shop, began renovations in February, she said.
Buko said the average cost of a sandwich and a smoothie at Tropical Smoothie Café is between $5 and $10.

Packaging freshman Aaron Stuk plans to visit the new cafe when it opens, he said.

“There’s nowhere else to get smoothies here that I know of,” Stuk said. “I would get their smoothies all the time. And (smoothies are) healthy.”

The store will have about 25 employees, about 80 percent of which will be college students, Buko said.

“We’ve already had two hiring days at the store’s location, and the students we’ve interviewed so far are tremendous, really bright students,” Buko said.

Buko and her husband Dave, who will co-own the restaurant, said they knew they would find success opening the store in East Lansing.

“When we turned in our franchise application, my husband and I were like, ‘Wow, we need to be on Michigan State’s campus,’” Buko said. “We believe in the product, and we know (MSU) students will love it.”

Down the road from Tropical Smoothie Café’s location, Ellen Sawvel, owner of GrandRiver Coffee Cafe, 515 W. Grand River Ave., said her store’s smoothies will match up well against the new competition.

“We think we have the best smoothies in town right now,” Sawvel said.

Although she is confident in her product, Sawvel said she’ll be sure to take the trip to the new restaurant to see what the competition has to offer.

East Lansing Community Development Analyst Tim Schmitt said the new Tropical Smoothie Café most likely will do well in East Lansing despite the competition.

“I’m sure (Tropical Smoothie Café) will carve out a niche in the market,” he said.

Buko said she believes her new cafe’s fresh drinks will set it apart and the store’s atmosphere also is likely to impress customers.

“When you enter our store, it’s like a vacation,” she said. “We have tropical music playing and a tropical theme. There’s nothing like the tropics.”