Can a schedule+coffee model survive a delivery subsidy rush?

Meituan released large Heytea delivery coupons that stacked to roughly 18-18, cutting a drink priced over twenty yuan to a few yuan or nearly free. Orders surged nationwide within a short time. Riders fell behind, orders stalled, and some stores ran short of materials and staff, closing temporarily until the backlog was cleared.

Frontline employees described working from morning to night without breaks to eat or drink. The episode shows how platform promotions can overwhelm store capacity, a lesson for anyone weighing how much does it cost to open up a coffee shop? and planning staffing, since a single coupon wave can upend a normal schedule+coffee routine.

The subsidy war on food delivery platforms continues to heat up, with large coupons frequently being thrown at consumers, and the pressure on storefront production has surged accordingly. Recently, Meituan released a batch of delivery coupons for Heytea that can expand to "18-18," making a drink that originally costs over twenty yuan available for just a few yuan after discount, and even nearly free by stacking red envelopes. As soon as the news broke, netizens rushed to place orders, causing a surge in orders at Heytea stores across the country in a short time. Delivery riders couldn't keep up, leading to delays, stuck orders, and no one accepting deliveries. Some stores, facing shortages of materials and staff, had to close temporarily and reopen only after all backlogged drinks were made. Meanwhile, frontline employees poured out their daily struggles on social media, working from morning to night without time to eat or drink.

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The battle over food delivery subsidies is intensifying, with consumers encountering no-threshold coupons from major platforms almost every few days, while frontline workers are thrust into a whirlwind of overwhelming orders without warning.

Take yesterday, for example: Meituan launched a wave of large delivery coupons for Heytea that can instantly expand to "18-18." After discounts, a drink that normally costs over twenty yuan actually only costs a few yuan, and if stacked with other red envelopes, it's basically free. Thrifty netizens, upon hearing this news, certainly wouldn't miss such a bargain.

With the mindset of "not taking advantage of a deal is a loss," as soon as the "18-18" divine coupon was released, it immediately attracted a large number of netizens to place orders enthusiastically. After the good news spread, everyone not only rushed to grab coupons for themselves but also had to inform relatives and friends immediately. Right after breakfast, they were already thinking about afternoon tea, and some even ordered from nearby stores one by one just to try all the drinks they wanted in one go.

However, many netizens, after placing orders, expected their milk tea to be delivered soon, but after waiting for over an hour, they discovered that the store hadn't even prepared the food, and no rider had accepted the order. The platform page showed "overdue." As nearly two hours passed, contacting the merchant yielded no response, leaving them unsure whether to leave or stay.

It wasn't until they posted a question that they realized they weren't the only ones experiencing "stuck orders." Heytea stores across the country were dealing with severe order surges, with countless online orders lacking delivery and long delays. Those lucky enough could get their drinks in an hour or so, while the less fortunate had to wait at least two to three hours, and some even waited five hours, with the delivery platform still showing "preparing order."

According to informed netizens, some stores, due to a sudden surge in orders, couldn't prepare various materials in time, and the staff on duty that day were overwhelmed. In the end, they had to "close and shut down" first, and only reopen after all the current batch of milk teas were made.

While customers complained about orders not being delivered, frontline workers were pouring out their hearts:

Starting business at 10 a.m., by 10:05 the delivery orders had exploded to number 80. The work never stopped, but the drinks waiting to be prepared not only didn't decrease but piled up more and more—some stores had 300 orders, some over 600, and some even broke 1,600... Facing an endless stream of orders, workers spent the whole day shuttling between the kitchen and the bar. Forget eating on time; they couldn't even squeeze in time to drink water.

During the order surge, workers not only had to deal with riders and customers picking up in-store, finding drinks amid the urging, but also constantly heard machine reminders: "Meituan Delivery Order *** scheduled order is almost due~ Please pay attention to stock~ If the receipt is lost, please reprint"... As one Heytea employee put it, "I finally understand why roosters crow early in the morning—a rotten life, open your eyes and just work."

After finally enduring a whole day and catching a breath, workers still couldn't be happy because they knew that after "May 18," there were new product launches and "buy one get one free" events waiting. This milk tea—can't shake it all, simply can't shake it all.

Image source: Internet screenshot

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The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.