Robeks is in Tokyo now. What is Robeks?

The American “smoothie” chain has just opened their first store in Japan. It opened in Tokyo this weekend.

But what exactly is a “smoothie”? I remember a shop called Orange Julius that was in nearly every shopping mall when I lived in America.
They sold a blended fruit drink that tasted pretty good. Is that what a “smoothie” is?
Is Orange Julius still in business in America? Is it still as popular as it was in the ’80s?

Is Robeks a new business?
I guess they must be popular in America, because they’ve managed to expand to Japan.
Robeks Japan will probably be popular in Japan…but I think their drinks will be overpriced (like that over-rated American coffee chain, Starbucks) because their lone Japanese store is located in a bit of a uptown part of Tokyo called 自由が丘 (Jiyuugaoka).

I don’t drink these blended juice type drinks often, but if I wanted one I wouldn’t make a special trip to Jiyugaoka just for one. And even I was in the area, I still doubt I’d patronize their store…there is already a Japanese alternative that is both more convenient and affordable called 「ジューサーバー」 (“Juicer Bar“).

There are Juicer Bar stands in many train stations all over Tokyo (sometimes right on the platform) and they sell a cup of blended fruit juice for less than ¥200 (currently the U.S. dollar is very weak, so at today’s rate that would equal about US$2.60).

Do you drink at Robeks? How about Orange Julius? And have you ever tried Juicer Bar in Japan?
(A bit off topic, but what do you think of Starbucks? And, not that it affects me personally (I haven’t used American currency for years), but why is the U.S. dollar currently so weak?)