I was in Japan for work, but saw many Taiwanese/ Chinese cafes selling Taiwan Milk Teas (and other related foods). It seems a very good business in Japan. Photos are from yesterday Okayama City 岡山市 in West Japan. This café had a long line of mostly young people. I saw it in Okinawa, Fukuoka and Hiroshima. In Hawaii my Taiwanese friend open one, and now it’s mini chain so a good way promote Taiwanese food and bit of culture (in Japan shops for the most part have Taiwan in the name vs. Chinese, as in this photos).
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You should open this kind of store anywhere but Taiwan, it’s just too overcrowded with them.
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yea i’ve been seeing taiwan tea shops around asia, brands here that i wouldn’t look twice at have bigger space and look like they are doing very well in other countrys.
Coco in Seattle!
Bubble Tea has just exploded in popularity in Japan, China, Thailand , Malaysia and Vietnam.
Vietnam is chock a block with Taiwanese tea franchises setting up. You can see them all over Hanoi.
Some of these companies are massive.
Happy Lemon has revenues of 600 million USD from an article I read, mostly from their franchises in China.
Taiwan is just dead dead dead for business but South East Asia is a gold rush and obviously many other places too.
I saw Mr Wish in Hanoi , it has practically died out in Taiwan.
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New tea joint opened up on my closest high street. It ticks the boxes of all new businesses in my area: rustic wood panels in the fitout, giving a slightly traditional feel. Traditional calligraphic fonts. However they are still selling the same stuff… pre made tea in urns, chewy modified tapioca starch/gluten/plastic/what have you balls, milk and sugar.
I almost never drink the stuff, super unhealthy.
Green tea , no milk, tiny bit of sugar for me…
Who comes up with these names? Sounds like that one was brainstormed at the local kindergarten.
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600 million dollars later…
and Guiness 
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There is a current bubble milk craze in Japan.
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Can’t see how this drink could appeal to anyone but children…
Look mummy it has little black bubbles in there!!
You’ve no idea what they put in drinks at tea shops except for black bubbles.
The only thing about Japan is that it’s very trend-driven. Pearl milk tea is a craze there right now but in 5-10 years it could be dead, so it’s best to get in now and plan for it to not last.
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That’s why most Taiwanese buy in the franchises, get rich quick! The only ones that are getting rich quick are the franchisees!
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The hype machine is pretty active here too. Look at this ‘Yannick’ patisserie you see around, with their giant “YTMs” at metro stations dispensing their signature cakes. Those bespoke cake vending machines look like they spend most of their time gathering dust to me. No doubt part of some brain fart expansion plan, conceived when their popularity was on the uptrend.
There’s a few Taiwanese foodie business in Malaysia. Tea shops, and snacks like 蔥油餅。
Really? Signature?
dunno, tbh I didn’t even care to look. I heard they have some little puff thing that is “famous”. Wouldn’t touch any of their crap margarine “cotton wool” cakes.
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It’s like having a ‘signature’ waffle? Or ‘signature’ nitrogen infused drink?