Cafe Ala Carte vs Tapioca Express Franchise Comparison

Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Cafe Ala Carte vs Tapioca Express including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.

Start-Up Costs and Fees
 
Cafe Ala Carte Franchise
Tapioca Express Franchise
Investment $56,200 - $123,300$200,000 - $420,000
Franchise Fee $25,000$15,000
Royalty Fee 8-5%$0.055/cup
Advertising Fee --
Year Founded 19961999
Year Franchised 20002000
Term Of Agreement 10 years-
Term Of Agreement 10 years-
Renewal Fee The then-current franchise fee$3K for 2 years


Business Experience Requirements
 
Cafe Ala Carte Franchise
Tapioca Express Franchise
Experience -
  • Industry experience
  • General business experience
  • Marketing skills
    		•

    Financing Options
     
    Cafe Ala Carte Franchise
    Tapioca Express Franchise
      In-House/3rd PartyIn-House/3rd Party
    Franchise Fees No/NoNo/No
    Start-up Costs No/NoNo/No
    Equipment No/YesNo/No
    Inventory No/NoNo/No
    Receivables No/NoNo/No
    Payroll No/NoNo/No

    Training & Support
     
    Cafe Ala Carte Franchise
    Tapioca Express Franchise
    Training --
    Support Toll-free phone line, Grand opening, InternetNewsletter, Meetings, Grand opening, Internet, Field operations/evaluations, Purchasing cooperatives
    Marketing Ad slicksCo-op advertising, Ad slicks, National media, Regional advertising
    Operations Franchise can be run from home.

    International franchisees required to buy multiple units/master licenses; 100% of all franchisees own more than one unit

    Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 2

    Absentee ownership of franchise is NOT allowed. (100% of current franchisees are owner/operators)

    Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 5

    100% of current franchisees are owner/operators

    Expansion Plans
     
    Cafe Ala Carte Franchise
    Tapioca Express Franchise
    US Expansion --
    Canada Expansion NoNo
    International Expansion YesYes

    Company Overviews

    About Cafe Ala Carte

    Since 1996, Cafe Ala Carte provides a unique service to the food and beverage industry by capitalizing on the popularity of specialty coffees. By creating a niche in this market, people are experiencing a new and exciting idea for their events. Most franchises are simply duplicated or reinvented ideas. But Cafe Ala Carte is among the first of its kind. Our system has proven successful, and allows us to capitalize on one of the world's fastest growing trends.

    About Tapioca Express

    Wayne and Stephanie, passionate about their Taiwanese heritage, opened the first Tapioca Express store in the San Gabriel Valley in 1999 �" one of the very first boba chains in the United States. Since the beginning,
    Tapioca Express has harvested the finest ingredients from Taiwan and continually provides quality teas, boba, and snacks. However, we did not foresee that boba’s popularity would manifest into its own culture and become an everyday lifestyle. Today, Tapioca Express expands across California and into other states, including Washington, Texas, and Virginia. In our two decades of experience in brewing, we focus on nurturing and enriching communities with the finest teas, coffee, and boba.
    Tapioca beverage is a various combination of black or green tea, milk, juice, coffee, and small marbles of tapioca (a.k.a. "black pearl" or "boba", made from Tapioca starch, water, corn starch and natural flavors.) It originated in Tai-Chung City (in Taiwan) around 1981, and soon spread across Asia. In the late 90s, it traveled to North America and has quickly become a raging trendy drink on both coasts. It is perceived as a relatively healthier beverage than soft drinks or coffee, and a lot more fun, too.Tapioca Express was the first in North America to offer a wide selection of high quality tapioca beverage adhering to a consistently high professional standard. Since opening its first store in the city of Alhambra (located in the Greater Los Angeles, California),
    Tapioca Express has become synonymous to quality and innovation.