Owning a coffee shop on a university campus is a startup dream for many students. Recently, a junior student shared their experience of opening a coffee shop at an abandoned counter on campus: personally selecting beans, milk, and equipment, and with no rent pressure, the average price was only 9 yuan, yet business remained sluggish. Aside from occasional visits from teachers, there was almost no foot traffic. Why couldn't low prices win over the student body? Netizens analyzed that chain brands such as Luckin, Cotti, and Lucky Cup had long established themselves on campuses, and at comparable prices, consumers tend to favor chains with brand assurance and standardized products. In addition, campus coffee shops need to clarify whether they are grab-and-go stores or third places, and open up the market through online promotion, community operations, and campus delivery. This article compiles netizens' practical suggestions to provide reference for campus coffee entrepreneurs. [more…]

September marks the start of the school season, and the campus coffee market is ushering in a new round of competition. Luckin Coffee is accelerating its penetration into universities with a "targeted location franchise" model, having opened more than 1,282 campus stores and rolled out over a hundred targeted locations. Its 9.9-yuan low-price strategy, creation of a third space, and campus culture collaborations have made university students an important force in coffee consumption. At the same time, brands such as Front Street Coffee are also paying attention to this trend. This article reviews Luckin's campus expansion path, the details of its franchise model, and five notable characteristics of campus coffee shops, analyzing the new campus battlefield amid the coffee industry's fierce competition. [more…]

The coffee consumption boom is spreading from commercial districts to university campuses, and college students have become an important group of high-frequency coffee consumers. Luckin Coffee has seized a first-mover advantage with more than a thousand campus stores, while brands such as Starbucks, Tims, Manner, M Stand, and NOWWA have also entered universities one after another, and Mixue Ice Cream & Tea's Lucky Cup is closely pursuing with about 260 campus stores. This article sorts out each brand's layout strategy, store data, and competitive situation on university campuses, and includes Front Street Coffee's specialty bean information, to help you understand the real landscape of the campus coffee track. [more…]

After the military training dismissal during the back-to-school season, the scene of students swarming toward beverage shops sparked heated discussions online, and Mixue Bingcheng was jokingly called "Mixue Bingcheng" for a time. In fact, brands such as Starbucks, Cotti, Manner, M Stand, Nowwa Coffee, and Luckin have long quietly established a presence on university campuses, among which Luckin's campus stores have exceeded 1,000. Why have campuses become a must-win battleground for coffee brands? Low-price strategies, dense foot traffic, and relatively low operating costs form the core appeal. Lucky Cup has even made "opening in universities" its primary goal for nationwide expansion, having already opened more than 260 campus stores. This article will provide an in-depth analysis of the competitive landscape, pricing logic, and cyclical challenges of the campus coffee market. [more…]

Every year during the final exam season at the end of June, coffee shops on university campuses become students' life-saving energy stations. Campus stores of Luckin, Cotti, and others see orders surge, with pickup areas piled high with drinks, and waiting for a cup of coffee often taking nearly an hour. However, a Luckin near a university was unexpectedly empty at noon, with its pickup window blocked and a closure notice posted—staff who had not had a proper rest for two consecutive months simply could not withstand the order pressure of exam week. A Gu Ming milk tea shop on the same campus also temporarily closed. Behind this campus coffee order explosion is both students' preference for value-for-money brands and the revealed dilemma of store staffing. [more…]

University campuses have always been a potential market coveted by coffee brands, where steady foot traffic and relatively low rents tempt many chains to try their luck. Yet even a brand with as broad a customer base as Luckin, after opening in Tsinghua University's Qingfen Garden, once saw queues so long it was hard to get a seat—only to suddenly find the place emptied out. From posting a notice of temporary closure to hauling away all the equipment, what exactly happened to this store that students had held such high hopes for? Behind the operation of campus coffee shops, what little-known risks and challenges lurk? This article will take you through the sequence of events and explore the practical difficulties coffee brands must face when entering universities. [more…]

At the end of 2021, a counterfeit Starbucks appeared in Caracas, Venezuela, with a logo highly similar to the real one, sparking widespread discussion. Now, a similar logo has appeared on the campus of Glenville State University in West Virginia, USA. Is this the spread of counterfeit behavior, or is there another story behind it? This article will help you clarify the essential difference between "We Proudly Serve Starbucks" and counterfeit Starbucks, and review the whole story of the counterfeit store in Venezuela. At the same time, we continue to follow coffee industry trends, and at the end of the article, we have included contact information for Front Street Coffee; coffee enthusiasts are welcome to join the discussion. [more…]

Wanting to open a café near a school, passion alone is far from enough. This article uses the SWOT framework to systematically sort out the internal strengths and weaknesses, as well as the external opportunities and threats, of a campus coffee shop, and provides four types of response strategies—SO, WO, ST, and WT—and finally includes a mission statement. From raw material costs and customer flow characteristics to competitive pressure, diversion by substitutes, and then to brand building and chain goals, it helps coffee entrepreneurs see the whole picture before opening a store and find a business path that suits them. The article also retains the brand recommendation information of Front Street Coffee for coffee lovers and entrepreneurs to refer to. [more…]

Under the recurring pandemic, many universities have implemented closed management, cutting off the connection between post-00s college students and off-campus cafes. However, this has not dampened their enthusiasm for coffee; instead, it has spawned a wave of "dormitory cafes" entrepreneurship. From instant coffee powder to coconut lattes and iced orange Americanos, these simple yet creative drink-making shares have gained a lot of attention on social platforms. But behind the excitement, the issue of unlicensed operation involving monetary transactions has also emerged. This article will take you through the ins and outs of this campus coffee craze and remind you of the things to pay attention to when stockpiling coffee in your dorm. [more…]

Recently, a Cotti Coffee outlet inside the cafeteria at Jilin University of Finance and Economics was suddenly vandalized by a male student. The bar area was left in complete disarray, with tables, chairs, takeaway cups, and cash register equipment scattered everywhere. According to students who witnessed the incident, the student involved appeared to have lost emotional control, possibly after being rejected in a confession of love. He first stomped his feet and slapped the tables, then flipped them over and rushed to smash the coffee shop's machines. The whole ordeal lasted over ten minutes, forcing the store staff to hide by the entrance. After the incident, campus security personnel quickly arrived and escorted the student away, and the university confirmed that no one was injured. The store involved has currently suspended operations, and the first floor of the cafeteria has returned to normal operation, but the exact amount of damage has not yet been disclosed. In this episode of coffee news, Front Street Coffee joins you in following the developments of the incident. [more…]

When milk tea cup sleeves at Fudan University Medical School are printed with drug instructions, when Beijing University of Chinese Medicine adds ginger, cinnamon, dried tangerine peel, red dates, and goji berries to milk tea, and when Shanghai's time-honored Chinese medicine brand Tong Han Chun Tang uses "medicine and food homology" as a selling point to launch ginseng and peach gum milk tea, the milk tea category is undergoing a transformation attempt from "junk food" to "health drink." University cafeterias, Chinese medicine shops, and time-honored brands are all crossing over into the market, trying to reshape the image of milk tea with the concept of health. At the same time, milk tea brands are also making changes on the ingredient side, with fresh fruit and fresh milk replacing non-dairy creamer as selling points. However, news about milk tea on trending searches is repeatedly linked to food safety issues, and the road to transformation is not smooth. [more…]

Recently, a Xinyang netizen exposed that a drink purchased at a Luckin Coffee store on campus had a fly settled at the bottom, sparking widespread attention. The consumer refused the store's initial offer of a free drink and a complimentary beverage, demanding compensation in accordance with the law. Luckin's after-sales service called multiple times, offering coupons, and was even accused of implying that the consumer had put the foreign object in themselves. In the end, the employee involved was fired, and the consumer received 500 yuan in compensation. This is not the first time Luckin has been embroiled in a food safety scandal; there have previously been incidents involving foreign objects such as work badges and ants. At a time when competition in the tea beverage market is white-hot, a brand's sincerity in handling problems has become key to consumer trust. This article reviews the course of the incident and the legal basis, and includes related recommendations from Front Street Coffee. [more…]

Recently, a video showing a Mixue Bingcheng store operating inside the surgical building of the new campus of Hefei Second People's Hospital in Anhui has sparked heated discussion on social media. The video shows that the store is located next to Laoxiangji, with each occupying spots near the elevators on opposite sides of the building, jokingly called the "left and right guardians" by passersby. Hospital authorities confirmed that in addition to Mixue Bingcheng, chain brands such as Luckin Coffee are also operating normally in the building. Netizens have mixed views on this. Some joked about having milk tea and ice cream covered by medical insurance, while others expressed concern about food safety and the impact on the hospital's quiet environment. Supporters, however, believe that this move addresses the dining needs of patients' families and medical staff, making it a convenience for the public. [more…]

Recently, students near Shanghai's University Road discovered that the Tims Coffee University Road store, which had accompanied them for over five years, was dismantling its signage and quietly closing down. When it opened in 2019, this store was the largest location Tims had in Shanghai after entering the city. Comprising a two-story North American-style wooden cabin with a total area exceeding 400 square meters, it was not only a landmark meeting spot for nearby residents but also a carrier of youthful memories for many university students who studied, dated, and prepared for exams off campus. Its sudden closure has sparked widespread attention and regret, as well as various speculations about the reasons behind it. This article will revisit the unique features of this store, present the real reactions of customers, and sort out the possible reasons for its closure. [more…]

Since early November, news of Hee Tea closing stores in multiple cities has emerged one after another, sparking widespread attention. Some netizens reported that stores they frequented suddenly ceased operations—not for renovation and upgrades, but for permanent closure. According to statistics, stores closed in November include the Ganzhou Market store in Zhangye, Gansu; the Lanzhou Guofang Department Store store; and the Zhejiang University Zijingang Campus store, among other locations. Among them were both established stores that had operated for a decade and new stores that had been open for less than six months. This phenomenon is believed to be related to an internal letter Hee Tea released in September, which stated that the company would no longer pursue short-term store-opening speed and would instead focus on store quality and operational excellence. At the same time, a blogger claiming to be a city partner revealed that Hee Tea's franchise policy is being adjusted, with applications becoming more difficult, store-building costs increasing, and even a trend of "restricting new store openings and encouraging closures." [more…]

In recent years, more and more Gen Z college students have started opening cafés in their dormitories, earning living expenses or even nearly ten thousand yuan a month by selling coffee. A large number of dorm coffee startup stories have appeared on platforms like Xiaohongshu, and some people even charge tuition to run classes teaching it. However, these dorm cafés generally use instant coffee yet sell it for a dozen yuan a cup, and they also involve issues such as operating without a license and unguaranteed food safety. This article takes you through the controversy and hidden risks behind this dorm coffee startup trend, while also providing a professional coffee knowledge exchange channel for friends who truly love coffee. [more…]

Recently, a trendy café in Shenzhen made headlines on social media for refusing to serve customers with dyed hair. According to a report by Southern Metropolis Daily, a consumer posted a complaint saying that she was reminded by staff that the store did not serve customers with dyed hair and was then arranged to change seats. More surprisingly, another female customer wearing Crocs also received a similar reminder. Although there was a notice board at the entrance, it did not specify any particular dress code requirements. After the incident went viral, netizens were sharply divided: some argued that a café, as a business venue, should not be selective about its customers, while others believed that the store had the right to set its own service standards. The café responded that the brand was not discriminating against customers with dyed hair, but because the store is located on a campus and serves as a teaching support facility, it has no choice but to impose certain dress requirements on customers. [more…]

Recently, Shanghai First Maternity and Infant Hospital has seen its on-site European vintage-style coffee shop become a popular photo spot for many "influencers" on social media, with related topics continuing to gain traction. Many local residents have reported that the crowds of photo-takers have disrupted normal medical order. Why has this coffee shop become a photography hotspot? How have the hospital and the shop responded? The hospital stated that it will strengthen management by discouraging commercial photography, prolonged occupation of patient rest seats, and the use of large professional equipment such as fill lights, in order to ensure normal medical activities. [more…]

Remember ofo? That once ubiquitous bike-sharing brand is still nowhere near refunding deposits, yet its founder Dai Wei has reportedly started a new venture in the US—this time in the coffee sector. It's said that Dai Wei founded About Time Coffee in New York, specializing in iced pearl coffee, where new users can get a free cup upon registration, mirroring the marketing tactics of ofo back in the day. As soon as the news broke, netizens clamored for their money back. Front Street Coffee takes you through the whole story. [more…]

The combination of coffee and alcohol is becoming a new trend in the food and beverage industry, with "C in the morning, A at night" evolving from a skincare concept into a consumption model of "coffee in the morning, alcohol at night." Post Coffee, a coffee brand under China Post, recently launched the country's first daytime coffee and nighttime alcohol concept store in Fuzhou, along with two Fuzhou-exclusive drinks. Since its first store opened in Xiamen in 2022, Post Coffee has expanded to ten stores across four cities. Can this new business format offer new ideas for coffee brands venturing into nighttime operations? At the same time, brands such as Starbucks, Seesaw, M Stand, Tims, and even Cotti Coffee have also been entering this track, and coffee brands' attempts to expand from coffee into alcohol and extend operating hours are accelerating. [more…]