Tapioca Express vs Gourmet Cup Franchise Comparison

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

Start-Up Costs and Fees
 
Tapioca Express Franchise
Gourmet Cup Franchise
Investment $200,000 - $420,000$120,000 - $200,000
Franchise Fee $15,000$25,000
Royalty Fee $0.055/cup8%
Advertising Fee --
Year Founded 19991985
Year Franchised 20001986
Term Of Agreement -5 years
Term Of Agreement -5 years
Renewal Fee $3K for 2 years$5K


Business Experience Requirements
 
Tapioca Express Franchise
Gourmet Cup Franchise
Experience
  • Industry experience
  • General business experience
  • Marketing skills
    		• -

    Financing Options
     
    Tapioca Express Franchise
    Gourmet Cup Franchise
      In-House/3rd PartyIn-House/3rd Party
    Franchise Fees No/NoNo/No
    Start-up Costs No/NoNo/No
    Equipment No/NoNo/No
    Inventory No/NoNo/No
    Receivables No/NoNo/No
    Payroll No/NoNo/No

    Training & Support
     
    Tapioca Express Franchise
    Gourmet Cup Franchise
    Training --
    Support Newsletter, Meetings, Grand opening, Internet, Field operations/evaluations, Purchasing cooperativesNewsletter, Toll-free phone line, Grand opening, Internet, Security/safety procedures, Field operations/evaluations, Purchasing cooperatives
    Marketing Co-op advertising, Ad slicks, National media, Regional advertisingCo-op advertising, Ad slicks, National media
    Operations

    Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 5

    100% of current franchisees are owner/operators

    		 2% of all franchisees own more than one unit

    Absentee ownership of franchise is allowed. (100% of current franchisees are owner/operators)

    Expansion Plans
     
    Tapioca Express Franchise
    Gourmet Cup Franchise
    US Expansion --
    Canada Expansion NoNo
    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 Gourmet Cup

    Gourmet Cup Beverage Station is the latest retail coffee concept from Shefield Group. The Gourmet Cup Beverage Station environment provides fun, energetic friendly service in a classic coffee shop setting. Consumers can select from the following:

    unique coffees with many flavours on offer;
    other beverages like caramel lattes, hot chocolate, cappuccino and espresso;
    nutritious snacks and fresh-baked treats.

    Gourmet Cup Beverage Station locations are designed to offer both an initial WOW factor as well as a place for consumers to relax. With its unique character, ambiance and wide selection of beverages, Gourmet Cup Beverage Station locations are absolutely unique.