Venus Williams Has Owned Multiple Locations Of This Iconic Fast Food Chain

She's a member of tennis royalty, but Olympic champion and multiple grand slam winner Venus Williams is one smart cookie when it comes to her business investments. That includes owning multiple franchises of Jamba Juice, which has been serving up plant-based fast food since 1990.  While we can't stand some of the healthy snack brands in stores, elite athlete Williams knows a thing or two about staying in shape, but her teaming up with Jamba Juice was preceded by a devastating diagnosis.

In 2011, Williams was told she had Sjogren's syndrome, an autoimmune disease that stood to seriously impact her ability to play tennis. In the search for solutions, she explored plant-based foods and embraced a vegan diet, which Jamba Juice could meet quite well, unlike this diet soda, which isn't vegan but the brand won't say why. Williams then made an ace move: She would establish her own franchises in and around Washington, D.C.

Williams was eager to showcase Jamba Juice when she launched her EleVen Capsule Collection the following year. The event showcased the Berry UpBEET smoothie and provided a platform for her to give the company's product a ringing endorsement. In 2014, avid juicer Williams told lifestyle blogger Mar Yvette that whenever she travelled abroad, she took a blender with her, but the instant she was back on home soil, "I juice at Jamba Juice."

By 2015, a delighted Williams was the proud owner of four Jamba Juice franchises in the D.C. area, telling Fox News: "It just makes me happy to be able to share the message of the benefits of juicing with everyone." A decade later, she was still reported as owning the Jamba Juice franchises, among her many other business interests (though it's currently unclear if she's still a franchisee).

Jamba Juice, which was acquired by GoTo Foods (formerly FOCUS Brands) in 2018, has expanded to over 770 outlets in the U.S., as well as internationally — helped in no small part by Venus Williams' promotion of the brand. Of course, she's far from the only sports star to have ever invested in the food business. The one and only Magic Johnson is also reportedly a former Jamba Juice franchisee, though he sold his stake in the company 2016. Since then, he's also been reported as the owner of multiple Starbucks and Burger King franchises, as well as a TGI Friday's location.

Meanwhile, golfer Phil Mickelson owns a clutch of Five Guys restaurants, Peyton Manning's investments included Papa John's and Krispy Kreme locations, and Super Bowl star Drew Brees helped launch Jimmy John's Gourmet Sandwiches in 2011, the same year Venus joined forces with Jamba. The other Williams sister and fellow vegan, Serena, may have sidestepped fast food, but she did give her celebrity clout (and dollars) to vegan food manufacturer Impossible Foods in 2019, two years after investing in healthy meal planning company Daily Harvest.