Tapioca Express vs Esquires Coffee House Franchise Comparison

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

Start-Up Costs and Fees

 
Tapioca Express Franchise
Esquires Coffee House Franchise
Investment $200,000 - $420,000$250,000 - $350,000
Franchise Fee $15,000$25,000
Royalty Fee $0.055/cup6%
Advertising Fee -4%
Year Founded 1999-
Year Franchised 2000-
Term Of Agreement -5 years
Term Of Agreement -5 years
Renewal Fee $3K for 2 years-


Business Experience Requirements

 
Tapioca Express Franchise
Esquires Coffee House Franchise
Experience
  • Industry experience
  • General business experience
  • Marketing skills
  • -

    Financing Options

     
    Tapioca Express Franchise
    Esquires Coffee House Franchise
      In-House/3rd PartyIn-House/3rd Party
    Franchise Fees No/No-/-
    Start-up Costs No/No-/-
    Equipment No/No-/-
    Inventory No/No-/-
    Receivables No/No-/-
    Payroll No/No-/-

    Training & Support

     
    Tapioca Express Franchise
    Esquires Coffee House Franchise
    Training --
    Support Newsletter, Meetings, Grand opening, Internet, Field operations/evaluations, Purchasing cooperatives-
    Marketing Co-op advertising, Ad slicks, National media, Regional advertising-
    Operations

    Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 5

    100% of current franchisees are owner/operators

    -

    Expansion Plans

     
    Tapioca Express Franchise
    Esquires Coffee House Franchise
    US Expansion --
    Canada Expansion No-
    International Expansion YesYes

    Company Overviews

    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.

    About Esquires Coffee House

    Operating an Esquire Coffee House is a remarkable opportunity. The Esquires brand targets people looking for quality 100% Fair Trade coffee and a quality experience. Stores offer a relaxing environment where customers can read the latest international newspapers, have an informal meeting or watch the business news on plasma screen TV. Most outlets feature wi-fi 'hotspots' where people can log on to the internet from their own laptops and surf the web for free with any purchase. Depending on location, Esquires attracts business-people, shoppers, theatre-goers, tourists and other discerning customers. Each outlet uses locally-roasted Fair Trade coffee beans and the latest in barista technology which ensures coffee is ground fresh for every cup, thereby maximising freshness and flavour. Esquires’ food menu offers a wider selection than other cafes as food is brought in rather than prepared on-site. This means no kitchens, lower costs and fewer staff. Margins are therefore high.

    We are proudly local cafes, part of every community that we sit within. Our teams walk the same streets you do, shop at the same shops, sit in the same parks, admire the same views. But we draw on our global best pour knowledge, to help us deliver the best cup of coffee in your neighbourhood. 

    Our approach is that each cafe is a unique reflection of the community it sits in. We love being a part of your community and creating the perfect mix of our natural, fair and delicious coffee, with local passion and care.