Milk+T, would it catch on here?

It is a do it yourself milk tea place in L.A.
http://www.milkandt.com/index.html

Would it be something that could catch on here? Possible business venture?
Or would all those self serve additions end up being swiped by locals with plastic bags like Costco onions?

Are you seriously asking this question? :grin:

Tongue in cheek.

I think we all know you would need posted guards next to the self serve area.

Your humor is dryer than my mouth.

MENU
ALL DRINKS = $5 (Unless specified)
ADD ICE CREAM = +$1

Definitely not at that price.
I think the main issue after the price would be the “serve serving” bit. Going to the counter and saying:“I want X” is much easier. Plus, the costco-onion style people would raid this kind of place like a swarm of locusts.

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Pretty sure I’ve seen a self-serve frozen yogurt store here? Might even be a chain store. They had several different dispensers with different flavors. Not sure if it was in Taiwan or another country, but I really want to say it was here.

I was not trying to be humorous. :kissing_heart:

Some time around 1.5-2 years ago, self serve frozen yogurt had stores here and there.

Despite not seeing anyone bum rushing the self serve machines, I don’t think any of them survived.

Nonetheless, this is bubble tea and not frozen yogurt, so it could be different. Aside from the obvious issue of Costco-onion style people, you run into SOP issues where there’s actually certain times that each individual drink has to be shaken for the taste to fit or amount of ice or sugar for each level.

Verdict: Cool concept, but won’t work.

i seriously doubt it. the tea shops here are pretty established. who’s going to give a shit about something which is similar, slightly less convenient and more expensive?

i would love self service checkouts in supermarkets or 7 11 though. taiwan is embarrassingly behind the times on that.

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As long as people are bringing plastic bags and tupperware to buffet restaurants and costco, i don’t think there will anything like self service ckeckouts

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That’s happening. I forgot whether it’s 7-11 or FamilyMart, but there’s one store located in one of their corporate offices that is without employee.

I can’t seem to find the article/thread, we discussed it not too long ago.

I think that was beyond just self service, if I remember correctly. Didn’t it use facial recognition to charge it’s customers automatically or something like that?

Not gonna lie, I value not having to line up to pay more than my personal privacy.

Let me guess…Millennial?

yea taiwan does have some slightly hipsterish restaurants, but its not gotten that bad yet.

i’d say the brunch cafes are the main offender. the food is always pretty similar and nothing special. i’ve noticed a few other places serving basic food at a higher price just with some slightly trendy decor.

Not that young unfortunately!

I do take home extra Sauerkraut often because it’s hard to find and expensive here. Not a giant Taiwan style bag, but enough to enjoy it a few more times.

Haha owner here! I loved reading these comments. It really gives us a look at what other people see when viewing MILK+T! I know this thread is over a year old but I’d still love to chime in!

To answer OP’s question, even I honestly don’t think MILK+T would thrive in Taiwan. We just can’t compete with the home of the original bubble tea shop! MILK+T is in no way even close to being traditional. It was an idea I had to add a fun, creative twist to the already popular shops in LA. :slight_smile:

To respond to the comments about people grabbing whatever they want from the topping bar, we do have rules for that. Each customer is given a free reusable 500ml glass jar with their purchase (hence the high purchase price of $5), and they’re allowed to fill that glass jar with toppings. If they fill too much, there won’t be any room in the cup left for the drink.

Customers are also not allowed to add in more toppings after they receive their drink.

I hope that shed some insight on how MILK+T works! If anyone has any questions, I’d be happy to answer them all at info@milkandt.com

Thanks guys!
Stacey Kwong
Co-founder | MILK+T