Gong cha is a tea-led beverage concept with Taiwanese roots and an international store network. For a prospective owner, the appeal of the drinks is only the beginning. Running a store also means managing preparation, staffing, approved products and customer service within the franchise system.
This guide focuses on the U.S. unit-store opportunity described in Gong cha USA Franchising, LLC’s March 25, 2026 FDD. It combines selected disclosure facts with practical questions about operating a bubble tea business, without assuming that global brand recognition guarantees local sales.
Gong cha’s origins and U.S. franchise model
Item 1 of the FDD traces Gong cha to Kaohsiung, Taiwan, in 2006 and describes its U.S. entry in April 2014. The current U.S. franchisor was formed in Delaware in January 2023. These are different milestones: the age of the international brand is not the age of the current U.S. franchising entity.
The unit program covers a single branded store selling bubble tea blends and other authorized beverages and products. Multi-store development involves separate commitments. Buyers should match the documents they receive to the opportunity being offered rather than applying terms from another country or a different development arrangement.
Tea, customization and the customer experience
The official U.S. product page presents tea bases, sweetness choices and toppings as parts of the ordering experience. Those choices give customers ways to tailor a drink. They also make order accuracy and staff product knowledge important: the team needs to understand what was requested and how the selected product should be prepared.
A useful way to evaluate the concept is to observe the ordering process. Can a first-time customer understand the menu? How are modifications communicated to the preparation station? Is the pickup area clear? Customization is a feature of the product, not evidence that every buyer becomes a regular or that add-ons will produce a particular average sale.
What the training curriculum covers
Item 11’s curriculum includes tea brewing, tapioca preparation, milk foam, drink preparation, equipment cleaning, opening and closing procedures, point-of-sale work and sales reporting. The table lists 36 classroom hours and 55 on-the-job hours and includes an academic and skills assessment requiring an 80% score.
For a new owner, those topics help identify the practical skills behind the menu. Ask how training will be scheduled for your role and location, who must attend and how additional staff will learn the standards. The disclosure and attached agreement use different overall duration descriptions, so obtain the schedule applicable to your opening rather than relying on a single advertised number of days.
Learning recipes is only part of preparation. Discuss how the team handles receiving ingredients, organizing workstations, checking equipment and passing information between shifts. A beverage business needs routines that remain understandable when the store is busy or a new employee joins.
Owner involvement and management
Item 15 says Gong cha prefers personal full-time owner participation. An entity franchisee must designate an approved principal with at least a 10% beneficial interest. Daily operations require full-time supervision by that principal or an experienced, trained general manager. The general manager need not hold an ownership interest, and the store must maintain sufficient trained staff.
Decide how this structure fits the role you want. If you intend to lead the store yourself, assess your availability for hiring, training and service. If you intend to use a manager, plan recruitment, approval, coverage and communication with that person. Neither arrangement removes the need to understand what is happening in the business.
Location and opening preparation
Location research should examine how people move through the area and whether they can conveniently reach the proposed store. A nearby school, shopping center or residential neighborhood is a reason to investigate the market, not proof of demand. Observe different periods and compare access, visibility, parking and neighboring businesses.
- Review the space needed for preparation, storage, service and pickup.
- Ask about the proposed site’s approval process and the work required before opening.
- Confirm equipment, supplier and utility requirements before finalizing a layout.
- Allow for permitting, construction, hiring and training in the opening plan.
- Compare occupancy costs with a realistic operating budget.
A prominent address cannot compensate for every operational problem. Review the location and the staffing plan together: the counter, preparation area and customer flow must work for the team you expect to have on duty.
Menu standards and marketing
Item 16 requires specified products and services and prior written approval for other offerings. It also places conditions on delivery, catering, other sales channels and online promotion. An owner should therefore work within the approved program rather than independently adding products or launching a new distribution channel.
For customer communication, start with clear descriptions and accurate local information. Train staff to explain available options without making unsupported ingredient, allergen or health assurances. When considering a local promotion, confirm the approved materials, timing and ability to fulfill orders. Track actual responses rather than assuming that social sharing will turn into sales.
Costs and questions to review before committing
Request the current unit FDD and the agreements for your proposed store. Compare the opening budget, ongoing charges, training expenses, technology requirements and marketing obligations with your available resources. A multi-store commitment should be evaluated separately from the cost of a single location.
Keep a written list of unresolved points. Ask for clarification when a document’s wording differs from another section or a sales presentation. The reviewed FDD contains a discrepancy between the written and numerical initial-fee wording in the attached agreement; this article does not resolve that discrepancy or change any existing financial listing values.
During your own operator research, ask about buildout timing, hiring, preparation routines, inventory waste and managing busy periods. Seek experiences from more than one location. Any discussion of financial performance needs the relevant period, population and limitations; popularity or international reach alone does not establish an owner’s return.
Considering Gong cha alongside other opportunities
Gong cha offers a defined beverage concept for a buyer interested in hospitality, product preparation and leading a store team. Its menu and brand story are concrete features to assess, while customer demand and operating performance must be evaluated for the proposed market.
Visit our Gong cha franchise profile for a companion overview, or use our franchise ownership guide to organize comparisons. Evaluate the operating requirements and documents before deciding whether the model fits your goals.
Source: Gong cha USA Franchising, LLC, U.S. Unit FDD issued March 25, 2026, Items 1, 11, 15 and 16, plus the official U.S. product page. This review covers selected article claims, not certification of later amendments or the terms applicable to every proposed sale.