How Many People Does It Take To Run A Bubble Tea Shop?

One of the key things to decide when setting up a bubble tea shop is how many members of staff you will need. Too few and you may cause frustration amongst customers for slow service. Too many and you will be piling on overhead costs which could limit the growth capital of your business.

The determining factors

The number of employees will be a balancing act of several factors such as:

  • the size of your operation
  • regular hours vs. peak hours
  • employees taking breaks
  • how many shifts you plan to run
  • cover for sickness or other unplanned reasons

Typically, during regular hours with steady customer flow, the shop can be managed with two on-site personnel. Often, in this case, one employee will be taking orders while the other making the order at the same time. However, both employees should be able to carry out all tasks necessary for operation. This will allow the employees to cover for each other when taking breaks in turn. Of course, during busy hours, you might need to add an extra staff member or two.

What tasks should an employee be able to do?

The ideal employee should be able to work independently when working alone in the shop, and able to carry out the below tasks:

  • Preparing different bubble tea components before shop opening
  • Taking orders and payments
  • Making and delivering drink orders
  • Checking and placing stock orders
  • Cleaning and closing down the shop