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Updated RecentlyTapioca Express vs Tea Lounge Franchise Comparison
Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Tapioca Express vs Tea Lounge including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.
Start-Up Costs and Fees |
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| Investment | $200,000 - $420,000 | $140,750 - $243,750 |
| Franchise Fee | $15,000 | $25,000 |
| Royalty Fee | $0.055/cup | 5% |
| Advertising Fee | - | 1% |
| Year Founded | 1999 | 2000 |
| Year Franchised | 2000 | 2012 |
| Term Of Agreement | - | - |
| Term Of Agreement | - | - |
| Renewal Fee | $3K for 2 years | - |
Business Experience Requirements |
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| Experience | - | |
Financing Options |
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| In-House/3rd Party | In-House/3rd Party | |
| Franchise Fees | No/No | -/Yes |
| Start-up Costs | No/No | -/Yes |
| Equipment | No/No | -/Yes |
| Inventory | No/No | -/Yes |
| Receivables | No/No | -/Yes |
| Payroll | No/No | -/Yes |
Training & Support |
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| 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 |
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| US Expansion | - | Yes |
| Canada Expansion | No | - |
| International Expansion | Yes | 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.