When you go to a store to buy a cup of tea, you’ll only end up spending a couple of dollars.
If you go to a fancy tea shop that might be a little more expensive, but you should still be able to get your tea without spending more than the $5 bill you have in your wallet.
So why is bubble tea so expensive?
It’s a combination of the ingredients, the overhead costs of running a business, and the popularity of the drink.
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How Much Does Bubble Tea Cost?
The price of bubble tea varies depending on where you live, but typically, a cup will set you back anywhere from $5 to $10.
For some people, that’s not a big deal.
But for others, spending that much on a drink, especially one that you can make at home, can seem exorbitant.
If you were to make bubble tea at home you could save a ton of money.
Tea, sugar, milk, and tapioca pearls are inexpensive to buy at grocery stores, and the cost per drink at home would be under $1.
At This Price – You could make drinks for everyone at a get-together for less than the price of one bubble tea from a restaurant or bubble tea cafe.
Fresh Ingredients
Before a bubble tea store can open for the day, the store needs to prepare the tapioca pearls and any fruits that will be used in the tea.
The tapioca pearls need to be cooked before they can be used, and they need to be cooled down so that they are ready to be put into the tea.
This process takes time and labor. The pearls can’t sit out for long after they are cooked or they will begin to harden.
This means that at the end of each day the leftover tapioca pearls need to be thrown out.
It isn’t just tapioca pearls that can go to waste.
Bubble tea stores also have several types of milk, flavored syrups, and fresh fruit that can expire if they aren’t used in time.
Each of these has a shelf life once they are opened, and even if they haven’t gone bad there are food safety policies that force employees to throw the food out before they can grow harmful bacteria.
Part of the cost of bubble tea is set aside to cover the wasted food costs that are inevitable in any restaurant business.
Overhead Costs
Bubble tea stores need to pay for their storefront, utilities, employee wages, and other general costs of running a business.
This can be a significant expense, especially in big cities where the rent is high.
The bubble tea store also needs to buy all of the machines to make tapioca and bubble tea, and all of the supplies to serve the tea.
This includes straws, cups, lids, spoons, and all of the ingredients that go into making the tea.
And what about the person serving your bubble tea?
They also need to be paid to show up to work so that you can order your bubble tea. These are just a few of the overhead costs that need to be covered for the store to stay open.
The price of bubble tea also reflects the cost of marketing and advertising the store.
Anyone who has ever opened a business knows that it takes money to get customers in the door.
This is especially true for new businesses that need to build up a customer base from scratch.
Bubble tea stores need to find ways to stand out in a crowded market, and this means spending money on marketing and advertising.
This can be a significant expense, especially in big cities where there is a lot of competition.
Hype and Popularity
Bubble tea is a trendy drink, and it has become increasingly popular in recent years.
This popularity has driven up the price of bubble tea as stores compete to attract customers.
The cost of bubble tea has also been rising as the demand for bubble tea increases. This is because bubble tea stores can charge more for their tea when more people want to drink it.
The price of bubble tea is likely to continue to rise as the popularity of the drink increases. This means that if you want to drink bubble tea, you should be prepared to pay a bit more for it.
Final Thoughts
Bubble tea is a delicious and refreshing drink, but it can be expensive depending on the shop you go to.
Keep in mind that there are ingredient costs, employee wages, and machine costs to consider, plus it’s grown in popularity and the drinks are in high demand so they can charge higher prices and still sell plenty of bubble tea.
Making bubble tea at home is a great way to save money, and it’s also a lot of fun.
With a little practice, you’ll be able to make delicious bubble tea that tastes just as good as the kind you would get at a store.
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