Tapioca Express vs Orion Food Systems Franchise Comparison

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

Start-Up Costs and Fees

 
Tapioca Express Franchise
Orion Food Systems Franchise
Investment $200,000 - $420,000$59,500 - $140,000
Franchise Fee $15,000N/A
Royalty Fee $0.055/cup-
Advertising Fee --
Year Founded 19991982
Year Franchised 20001993
Term Of Agreement --
Term Of Agreement --
Renewal Fee $3K for 2 years-


Business Experience Requirements

 
Tapioca Express Franchise
Orion Food Systems Franchise
Experience
  • Industry experience
  • General business experience
  • Marketing skills
  • -

    Financing Options

     
    Tapioca Express Franchise
    Orion Food Systems Franchise
      In-House/3rd PartyIn-House/3rd Party
    Franchise Fees No/NoNo/No
    Start-up Costs No/NoNo/Yes
    Equipment No/NoYes/Yes
    Inventory No/NoNo/Yes
    Receivables No/NoNo/No
    Payroll No/NoNo/No

    Training & Support

     
    Tapioca Express Franchise
    Orion Food Systems Franchise
    Training - On-The-Job Training: 45 hours Classroom Training: 9.5 hours
    Support Newsletter, Meetings, Grand opening, Internet, Field operations/evaluations, Purchasing cooperatives Ongoing Support Newsletter Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Security/Safety Procedures Field Operations Proprietary Software Franchisee Intranet Platform
    Marketing Co-op advertising, Ad slicks, National media, Regional advertising Ad Templates Regional Advertising Social media Email marketing Loyalty program/app
    Operations

    Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 5

    100% of current franchisees are owner/operators

    Absentee Ownership Allowed Number of Employees Required to Run: 4 - 6

    Expansion Plans

     
    Tapioca Express Franchise
    Orion Food Systems 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 Orion Food Systems

    "Orion

    Orion Food Systems franchises a variety of quick-service brands that place locations within nontraditional locations such as convenience stores, hospitals, colleges, sports arenas, shopping centers, airports and military bases. Brands include Hot Stuff Pizza, Gourmet Grub, Chopz, and Chix Chicken.

    Franchisor is seeking new franchise units in the following regions/states:
    Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Wyoming

    #228 in Franchise 500 for 2020.