How A Bubble Tea Menu Increases Your Reach

Walk into any cafe in the UK and you can probably guess the items on the menu. From high-end London retreats to the family establishment greasy spoon, the cafe menu has remained unchanged for as long as we can remember.

The new player in the game: Bubble Tea.

Bubble tea (or Boba tea, Pearl tea… see our blog on bubble tea names here) is fast becoming the UK's favourite drink, particularly among millennials. In fact, the growth of bubble tea shops in the UK has been featured on the BBC and VICE and the growth of bubble tea shops in the UK shows no signs of slowing. So how can you capitalise on this growth in your own cafe or restaurant? Add a bubble tea menu.

Bubble Tea History

Bubble tea rose to prominence in the 1980s in Taiwan when a traditional tea was mixed with a tapioca pearl dessert. The combination of the milky tea and textured tapioca balls was irresistible and bubble tea was born. In the last 40 years bubble tea shops have popped up all over the world and the combinations and creativity of bubble tea enthusiasts was explored in a previous blog.

Bubble Tea Ingredients

For what has become a global hit, bubble tea is very simple. Combine tea, milk, tapioca, and imagination and you have yourself a bubble tea (or boba). The tea can be black, milk, or green, and with the invention of popping boba balls the flavour combinations are endless. And with this simplicity it is easy to add bubble tea to your menu – if you can make a cappuccino, you can make bubble tea. To explore setting up a bubble tea shop, see our blog on the topic here.

What You'll Need

Setting up your cafe or other establishment to serve bubble tea is very simple. It will take up a small amount of space and require relatively little training for your staff. With the following equipment you will be set up and ready to serve bubble tea:

The Bubble Tea Market

While it may be tempting to dismiss bubble tea as a colourful fad, the facts are undeniable. In the UK alone there are nearly 300 bubble tea shops and many more independent restaurants serving bubble tea on their menu. From independent cafes to high-end chains bubble tea is growing in popularity and could be a great way of drawing new customers into your establishment.