Top 11 Bubble Tea Franchise Opportunities in USA for 2024

Update: 03.01.2024

Top Bubble Tea Franchise Business Opportunities in USA

Embark on a frothy journey with America's best bubble tea franchise business, where tea leaves and opportunity steep together in a cup of success! The landscape brims with top bubble tea franchise opportunities, swirling the traditional tea essence with a twist of modernity. Each franchise offers a unique blend, consisting of the tapioca pearls' dance in your boba to the zesty zip of fruit-infused concoctions.

In this burgeoning segment, a new franchisee can tap into a well-steeped brand, seasoned with the support of an experienced franchisor. Existing food and beverage enthusiasts have found their business's new fizz with bubble tea's rise. It's not just a drink but a dessert, a coffee alternative, and a cafe revolution wrapped in one. With each bubble tea franchise, you steep into a community, offering a product that's as much about the blend as it is about the experience.

The best bubble tea franchise opportunities transcend the traditional concept of a drink. Here, innovative product development meets the timeless ritual of tea. American palates are ready to savor this novelty, making it an opportune time to join the boba bandwagon. Dive into the bubble tea world, where your business dreams can bubble up to new heights of delight, one pearl at a time.

Here is the best 11 Bubble Tea franchise businesses in USA

№	Name of Brand	Founded	Initial investment
1	7 LEAVES CAFE	2011	$200,000 - $450,000
2	BEE & TEA	2014	$147,500 - $287,100
3	HAPPY LEMON	2006	$309,000 - $509,000
4	GONG CHA	2006	$177,430 – $335,400
5	BUBBLEOLOGY	2011	$205,850-$458,950
6	BAMBU DESSERTS & DRINKS	2008	$135,000 – $318,500
7	BOBA LOCA	2001	$88,945 - $327,955
8	KUNG FU TEA	2010	$124,050 - $428,050
9	TAPIOCA EXPRESS	1999	$200,000 - $527,000
10	CHATIME	2005	$181,100 - $507,200
11	IT'S BOBA TIME	2003	$389,100- $531,700

7 Leaves Cafe

Founded in: 2011
Franchising since: 2017
Franchise units: 20
Initial investment: $200,000 - $450,000
Franchise Fee: $35,000
Royalty Fees: 5%

7 Leaves Cafes are quick services coffee and tea-based drink cafes which offer the public premium drinks, snacks, and beverages. It’s simply about taking care of one another. We strive to foster a culture of being honest, humble, and understanding. Coaching instead of managing, being responsible while having fun. The 7 Leaves Cafe’s mission is to enrich and embrace the human experience through our commitment to serve the very best coffee, tea, and goodness in every cup, in every community.

Bee & Tea

Founded in: 2014
Franchising since: 2014
Franchise units: 4
Initial investment: $147,500 - $287,100
Franchise Fee: $40,000
Royalty Fees: 6% of gross sales weekly

Bee & Tea is a modern Asian-fusion cafe that specializes in our signature boba tea beverages and a full menu of delicious food offerings. Each boba tea beverage can be personalized to the customer’s taste by infusing additional flavors, modifying sweetness levels, and adding topping choices. By owning a BEE & TEA, you will be at the forefront of a brand new concept: bringing the very finest boba tea and Pan-Asian cuisine to your community in an unrivaled urban social setting, tapping into expanding cultural and generational trends that emphasize innovative tastes, quality and customization. This fusion is the perfect recipe for success.

Happy Lemon

Founded in: 2006
Franchising since: 2018
Franchise units: 49
Initial investment: $309,000 - $509,000
Franchise Fee: $40,000
Royalty Fees: 7%

Happy Lemon is not only a bubble shop, but also a tea culture. We are responsible for every single drink and do care how to serve qualified and fresh teas for customers. We provide premium tea leaves grown in Asia, freshly brewed and hand mixed with quality ingredients onsite, and serve an outstanding drink. Until 2020, Happy Lemon has more than 1000+ stores around the world, including Taiwan, Mainland China, Japan, Korea, South East Asia, North America, United Kingdom, Australia, etc.

Gong cha

Founded in: 2006
Franchising since: 2015
Franchise units: 23
Initial investment: $177,430 – $335,400
Franchise Fee: $41,500
Royalty Fees: 5.5%

Founded in 2006 in Kaohsiung, Taiwan; Gong Cha today is one of the most recognized bubble tea brands around the world. Known for quality tea and service, Gong Cha has withheld its reputation against many existing competitors. Bubble tea is positioned to be the next big thing in the beverage world, taking its rightful place among coffee and smoothies. Now is the time to get on board with the worldwide leader in bubble tea franchising - Gong cha. With Gong cha, you'll receive training and support from the entire team of Gong cha bubble tea masters.

Bubbleology

Founded in: 2011
Franchising since:2016
Franchise units: 70+
Initial investment: $205,850-$458,950
Franchise Fee: $32,500
Royalty Fees: 5%

Bubbleology, a U.K.-based beverage leader specializing in authentic bubble tea, was founded in 2011 in the heart of trendsetting Soho, London. This is your opportunity to move into the next big retail opportunity in the U.S., with the full backing of our experts on the ground. When you invest in a Bubbleology franchise, you will not be operating through a third-party operator; instead, you will be working directly with Bubbleology™’s London headquarters. Our initial U.S.-based sites are corporate-owned. So, you will have the benefit of working with the brand originators. The market opportunity for Bubbleology™ is an exciting one, and we look forward to working with you to spread the joy of our delicious teas!

See more food franchises in USA in the catalog →

Bambu Desserts & Drinks

Founded in: 2008
Franchising since: 2008
Franchise units: 50
Initial investment: $135,000 – $318,500
Franchise Fee: $81,500
Royalty Fees: None

Bambu serves distinctive Asian-inspired Che, unique boba teas, Vietnamese coffees, exotic fruit smoothies and juices ordered directly off our colorful menu or custom-made “just the way” our customers love it. Besides our house-made, vegan-friendly, gluten and dairy-free Che, we are also known for our incredibly friendly service. Bambu is offering passionate entrepreneurs the opportunity to open one or more Bambu Shoppes using Bambu’s valuable intellectual property including our brand, proprietary recipes, and unique processes. Our franchise model recommends, but does not dictate, the way you run your business except as it relates maximizing your workflow and protecting the Bambu brand, recipes and quality of our drinks.

Boba Loca

Founded in: 2001
Franchising since: 2013
Franchise units: 23
Initial investment: $88,945 - $327,955
Franchise Fee: $10,000 - $14,000
Royalty Fees: 5%

Boba Loca is the leading importer & manufacturer of Boba Tea drinks like taro, popping boba, honeydew, milk tea and much more. Boba Loca has quickly become the leader of the Boba world and the standard by which all others are measured. The cozy, fun atmosphere creates the perfect environment for the generally young consumers who are looking for someplace to relax and get refreshed. Boba Loca locations also operate a full espresso bar for consumers who prefer a more traditional coffee beverage. With our free internet service this also makes us an internet cafe. Our franchise system is easy to understand. Our operating systems are simple, logical, efficient and user-friendly.

Kung Fu Tea

Founded in: 2010
Franchising since: 2010
Franchise units: 250+
Initial investment: $124,050 - $428,050
Franchise Fee: $37,000
Royalty Fees: 4%

Founded in Queens, NY on April 30, 2010, we’re America’s largest bubble tea brand with over 250+ locations across the U.S. As one of the OGs of bubble tea, we maintain uncompromisingly high standards. Here at Kung Fu Tea, we believe that it’s our mission to not only continuously improve our brand and beverages and the lives of our customers through providing only the most delicious, high-quality flavors but also to inspire the community to dream big and live fearlessly. Join us in elevating the world of made-to-order beverages and challenging the face of the beverage industry through fresh, innovative, and fearless efforts.

Tapioca Express

Founded in: 1999
Franchising since: 2000
Franchise units: 47
Initial investment: $200,000 - $527,000
Franchise Fee: $15,000
Royalty Fees: 2.5%

The Tapioca Express bubble tea franchise was the first chain to introduce the tapioca (boba) drink to North American consumers. Since the beginning, Tapioca Express has harvested the finest ingredients from Taiwan and continually provides quality teas, boba, and snacks. 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.

Chatime

Founded in: 2005
Franchising since: 2005
Franchise units: 60
Initial investment: $181,100 - $507,200
Franchise Fee: $78,000
Royalty Fees: 3.5%

With stores flourishing in over 50 areas & territories in 6 continents, Chatime is now considered the world’s largest Taiwanese bubble tea brand. Since its opening, the brand has expanded not just in Asia but also in Australia, Canada, Europe and the United States. Since 2005, Chatime has been serving millions of customers with their favorite cup of tea, making it part of every occasion, celebration or simply cupping a busy day at work. As a business opportunity, Chatime is as straightforward as it gets. With strong delivery and digital sales throughout the pandemic, Chatime has proven to be a resilient business model with strong profit potential.

It's Boba Time

Founded in: 2003
Franchising since: 2015
Franchise units: 50+
Initial investment: $389,100- $531,700
Franchise Fee: $40,000
Royalty Fees: 5%
Marketing Fee: 2%

It’s Boba Time specializes in the production and sale of delicious and natural desserts and beverages made from boba tea and milk that have already become a hit in many cities of the US and countries around the world. The brand constantly upgrades its menu and comes up with new and fun flavors and combinations for customers of all ages to enjoy.

It's Boba Time franchise uses only fresh and high-quality ingredients to prepare foods and drinks. It is a profitable business opportunity for ambitious entrepreneurs interested in operating in a popular and thriving industry. Each store generates rather sizable revenue, and therefore franchisee’s income can be high.

Conclusion

To summarize, we can say any of the listed above bubble tea franchises is worth buying. But there is a lot to consider while choosing the best one for you. Pay attention to the reputation of the brand, what training and support are offered, check if the other franchisees are successful. But the main thing you need to do is to align your budget with investment requirements of the brand. In order to ease the challenge, we have made the comparison flowchart of the best boba tea franchises in the USA for you. It shows the minimum estimated initial investment and initial franchise fee of each brand. By using it, you can figure out the difference in financial requirements for each franchise, and decide which one fits you the most.

View all Bubble Tea franchises

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