Success leaves clues, as the saying goes, and reading the tea leaves of Gong cha, success is evident. Gong cha was founded in 2006 and has steadily grown to become one of the largest, fastest growing bubble tea concepts in the world, with over 230 units operating in the U.S. and nearly 2,200 worldwide.
Using the freshest, premium ingredients, and the best loose-leaf tea, Gong cha has elevated bubble tea with hand-crafted, highly customizable drinks. Customers have a choice of four teas —green, black, oolong and earl grey—all brewed fresh from loose leaf tea throughout the day. No powdered teas here! Tea pearls are made fresh throughout the day as well. Nothing is held overnight, ensuring the beverages are hand-crafted for each guest. Starting with just the four base teas, more than 600 drink combinations are possible. To do this all consistently day in and day out, Gong cha has established direct relationships with the tea farmers in Asia and created a farm-to-franchisee supply chain.
In our current state of social media, the best brands have garnered tens of thousands of followers with a core of raving fans, and Gong cha is no exception. Gong cha’s recent collaboration with Final Fantasy XIV is a great example of this. Understanding a brand’s core demographic and utilizing creative marketing efforts to elevate the brand is critical, all while remaining fanatical about the guest experience. This creates a core of loyal fans that every brand strives to reach.
The third ingredient in this recipe for success is taking the time to pick the right franchise partner. Imagine selling a particular market, one time, the right way, to the right partner with predictable development schedule integrity. To do that, a brand must have best-in-class technology, passionate people—think raving employees—and a tightly woven network of systems. The simpler the system is to duplicate these efforts, meaning the faster and larger the brand can scale. This is only one side of the equation.
Digging deep into what makes the ideal franchisee is crucial. Scrutinizing a prospective franchisee’s background and business building experience is a must. Do they have food and beverage industry experience? Have they successfully scaled another business at least once before? What operational standards do they hold themselves to? What culture have they built for their employees? Leaders who take the best care of their employees will see their employees take the best care of the brand’s guests. It sounds silly, but would that person be invited to a backyard gathering with friends and family? In this fast-paced world we live in, brands must slow down to speed up. Resisting the urge to “sell deals” and really focusing on who partners are is the third and possibly most important ingredient for success.
To learn more, visit gongchausofficial.com/franchise.
