Tapioca Express vs Lasaters Coffee & Tea Franchise Comparison

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

Start-Up Costs and Fees
 
Tapioca Express Franchise
Lasaters Coffee & Tea Franchise
Investment $200,000 - $420,000$257,000 - $310,000
Franchise Fee $15,000$35,000
Royalty Fee $0.055/cup0
Advertising Fee -1%
Year Founded 19992004
Year Franchised 20002006
Term Of Agreement -10 years
Term Of Agreement -10 years
Renewal Fee $3K for 2 years0


Business Experience Requirements
 
Tapioca Express Franchise
Lasaters Coffee & Tea Franchise
Experience
  • Industry experience
  • General business experience
  • Marketing skills
    		• $60,000-$90,000 in liquid capital, management/business ownership history

    Financing Options
     
    Tapioca Express Franchise
    Lasaters Coffee & Tea 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
    Lasaters Coffee & Tea Franchise
    Training -Ongoing
    Support Newsletter, Meetings, Grand opening, Internet, Field operations/evaluations, Purchasing cooperatives-
    Marketing Co-op advertising, Ad slicks, National media, Regional advertisingLocal marketing to be approved
    Operations

    Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 5

    100% of current franchisees are owner/operators

    		Owner operators preferred, absentee ownership allowed Currently 100% Owner operators

    Expansion Plans
     
    Tapioca Express Franchise
    Lasaters Coffee & Tea Franchise
    US Expansion --
    Canada Expansion No-
    International Expansion Yes-

    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 Lasaters Coffee & Tea

    If you'd like to start your own business, but simply do not have the experience or know-how to operate a successful operation, Lasaters Corporation may be able to help you open your own Lasaters Coffee & Tea Franchise. We manufacture many of our own high-quality products which ensures incredible quality control. We custom-roast our own coffees. We develop relationships with single-origin coffee growers in different regions in various countries. Our Franchisees do not get coffee that's been sitting on the shelf for weeks or months (or even years, like some of our national competitors). Our Franchisees order coffee - we roast it within 24 hours!Lasaters Corporation negotiates on behalf of their Franchisees. Many coffeehouse operators who are just getting started in the coffee industry experience the difficulties that surround opening and running a coffeehouse. From the freight costs, to the product research, there is a multitude of roads that can be taken. How do you negotiate better pricing than what your local distributor or wholesaler offers? How do you find out which product is more cost effective? Which road do you take? This is another benefit of owning a Lasaters Coffee & Tea Franchise! Our Franchisees need not negotiate with other vendors to try to minimize their costs - that is already done for you! What does it take to start a Lasaters Coffee & Tea Franchise? First, you will need to submit some basic information to verify you're ready to start franchising. Next, if you are approved, we will contact you for a meeting. The process is fairly quick and you may be on your way to opening your new Lasaters Coffee & Tea store within a matter of weeks!