The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
New Pulp location blends in
Owner of new Pulp Juice and Smoothie Bar enjoys the community
Michael McLaughlin began to consider the Madison area as a place for business expansion after driving through the community regularly on his way to Geneva to launch and ride his personal watercraft.
McLaughlin had become a franchise owner of a Pulp Juice and Smoothie Bar in Willoughby in 2016. He eventually began looking to establish a second location that wouldn’t compete directly with his business in western Lake County.
The more he did his homework on Madison, and spent time in the community, the stronger that McLaughlin felt about it as a spot for his second Pulp Juice and Smoothie Bar.
“It’s one of those communities, where I came out and just felt comfortable,” McLaughlin said. “So I watched this area for a while, just tried to get a good spot, get an idea of what the people are like. The people here are so nice. They’re patient, It’s just a different feel. It really is a country feel.”
One night after having dinner at Joey’s Italian Grille in Madison Township, McLaughlin realized he had fallen in love with the area.
“And I’m like, ‘you know what, this is probably going to be a really good location for a Pulp,’” he said.
McLaughlin’s fondness for the community prompted him to open a new Pulp Juice and Smoothie Bar on Jan. 26 at 2715 Hubbard Road in Madison Township. The new store is located in a small plaza just south of North Ridge Road, or Route 20.
‘This is fantastic’
Many customers have expressed enthusiasm about Pulp’s arrival, McLaughlin said.
“What I’ve heard right from the GetGo is, ‘We’ve been waiting for you, this is fantastic,’” he said.
Pulp features real-fruit smoothies, fresh-squeezed juices, wraps, and classic and blended bowls. Founded in Kent in 2005, Pulp has grown to comprise 40 locations in Ohio and one each in Pennsylvania and South Carolina, according to the company’s website.
“What’s cool about us … is everything we put in (Pulp’s menu items) is natural,” McLaughlin said. “We’re not adding sugar. And our juices are 100 percent concentrate.”
Customers also will find a wide selection when they browse through the menu. For example, Pulp features a variety of 30 realfruit smoothies, grouped into categories consisting of classic, tropical, citrus, super, veggies and greens, premium blends and high energy.
In addition, Pulp will tailor the standard ingredients of a smoothie to fit customers’ tastes or health needs.
“So we’ve got a lot of folks that have allergies or are lactose intolerant or don’t like bananas or strawberries or whatever, we can customize a smoothie,” McLaughlin said.
Local favorites
Although the Madison Township store has been open for a little less than a month, McLaughlin has noticed some differences in top-selling items in comparison with his Willoughby location at 4829 Robinhood Drive.
While the Protein Packer super smoothie is the favorite among Willoughby customers, patrons of the Madison Township Pulp prefer the high-energy smoothies, such as
Mango Bomb and Pulp Fusion. All of the high-energy smoothies contain 8 ounces of regular or sugarfree Red Bull in a 24- or 32-ounce smoothie.
“(In Madison Township), the Red Bull smoothies are huge,” McLaughlin said. “I’ve gone through more Red Bull (for smoothies) in this community than I ever thought possible. And customers keep coming back for them.”
So far, the most popular wraps ordered at the Madison Township Pulp are chicken Caesar and Buffalo chicken.
“We sell more of these here than in Willoughby,” McLaughlin said.
Vision of success
McLaughlin’s staff at the Madison Township Pulp is comprised of 16 employees. He said he trained the workers to place an emphasis on friendly and attentive customer service and keeping the store clean.
“As long as (employees) share your vision, and they share the way that you want your organization run, you’re going to be successful,” McLaughlin said. “And so far, we have been.”
McLaughlin said the new location has attracted patrons from throughout eastern Lake County as well as neighboring Ashtabula County. The business maintains an active Facebook page and recently began offering discount coupons on the back of Madison Giant Eagle register receipts.
McLaughlin also is going to place advertising in the Town Shopper Magazine, which focuses on the region of Madison, Perry and Geneva.
“It’s trying to figure out what marketing venues are going to give me the best push,” he said.
‘Perfect timing’
McLaughlin decided to acquire a Pulp franchise after become a devoted customer of the business.
He had been working in Macedonia as the director of inside sales for a small wire and cable company, and a Pulp Juice and Smoothie Bar was located around the corner from his office.
“I went there at the urging of one of my co-workers, and I loved their smoothies,” McLaughlin said.
After McLaughlin became a regular at the Macedonia Pulp, the manager of the location asked him if he had thought of becoming a franchise owner.
“And it was perfect timing, literally a perfect storm, because the company I was working for,
we had already sold it once, and it was coming up to be sold again,” he said. “And at that point, I was done.”
McLaughlin left the cable and wire company in the middle of 2015. Around that same time, he began laying the groundwork needed to become a Pulp franchise owner. He then worked in a sales position for a nationally known company until July 2016, and opened the Willoughby Pulp Juice and Smoothie Bar a month later.
Fast forward to 2021, and McLaughlin now owns two Pulp
businesses — one that’s just getting started and another nearing its fifth anniversary. He doesn’t hesitate when asked if the new career path he embarked on in 2016 has led him to a better place.
“There’s a sign out there: ‘Entrepreneurship: Giving up a job to work 40 hours a week for someone else to work 100 hours for yourself.’ Truer words have never been written,” McLaughlin said. “But you know what? I know that at the end of the night, I know I’m doing this for myself and for my family. And I’ve never looked back. I’ve never been happier.”