Recently, news about a former employee of Chagee whose ID number was publicly displayed by a store quickly went viral online, sparking widespread attention. According to multiple netizens, a woman in Zhoukou, Henan, discovered after leaving the brand that her name and ID number had been posted on an in-store notice, along with a statement about dismissal and blacklisting. The store first claimed the notice was only to deal with a supervisory inspection, then changed its statement and said the identity information was forged. At present, the store manager involved has been suspended, and the brand has intervened in the investigation. The incident has also triggered public discussion about the legal boundaries of how companies handle employees' personal information. Does publicly displaying an ID number constitute infringement? This article will sort out the sequence of events. [more…]

On April 2, the internet-famous tea brand Chayan Yuese opened a pop-up store at Shenzhen Wenheyou. The queue on opening day was unprecedented, with rumors online claiming that the number of waiting tickets exceeded 30,000, and a cup of milk tea was being resold for over 200 yuan. However, Chayan Yuese officially clarified shortly afterward that the so-called 30,000 number was actually the table number at Shenzhen Wenheyou, not the queue number for milk tea. From Changsha to Wuhan and then to Shenzhen, why does Chayan Yuese always trigger such frenzy? This article will reconstruct the whole incident, sort out the brand's development trajectory, and discuss whether a cup of milk tea is worth such a long queue. [more…]

The T97 Coffee livestream, which once drew 8.09 million viewers, has now shrunk to a mere four hours in the evening with a sparse audience. Founder Li Xiao once boldly claimed he would open 1,001 stores in a year to surpass Luckin, but official data shows the number of stores rose from 48 to 87 before falling back to 85, with multiple locations closing one after another. Li Xiao attributed the closures to individual franchisee issues, but many franchisees report that the brand provides little management and support, product quality is inconsistent, and once the hype faded, operations became unsustainable. This article examines the current situation of T97 Coffee franchisees, explores brand responsibility and franchise risks behind the high closure rate, and offers reference for those considering joining. [more…]

Ordering through mini-programs is quick and convenient, and you can even get coupons, but once you place a wrong order and want a refund, you may run into obstacle after obstacle. Recently, a blogger mistakenly ordered 17 cups of coffee through the Luckin mini-program. Within one minute, they tried to cancel, only to find that the mini-program did not display the store’s phone number, while the headquarters customer service kept passing them back and forth through an intelligent robot. In the end, they had no choice but to bear the loss themselves. This incident struck a chord with many netizens, and quite a few shared similar experiences. Consumers are calling for store contact information to be made public or for the self-service refund function to be improved, while Luckin staff also said that stores cannot directly process refunds and that the procedure is cumbersome, expressing hope that the system can be optimized. When convenience and after-sales service become disconnected, how should brands balance efficiency and consumer rights? [more…]

Recently, an employee at a Heytea store in Shijiazhuang searched for a customer's phone number and added her on WeChat to harass her, sparking widespread attention. After the incident came to light, Heytea quickly fired the employee and apologized and compensated the affected customer. This individual case not only exposes the lack of customer privacy protection training at tea beverage brands, but also once again brings the topic of consumer personal information security to the forefront. With the Regulations on the Implementation of the Law on the Protection of Consumer Rights and Interests officially taking effect in July 2024, the boundaries for business operators collecting and using personal information have become clearer, and the cost of violations has risen significantly. This article will review the course of the incident, the brand's response, and the relevant legal provisions. [more…]

Seesaw Coffee, once regarded as one of the representatives of domestic specialty coffee, has seen a sharp shrinkage in its number of stores within just half a year. From the end of last year to June this year, a total of 50 stores across the country quietly disappeared, with store closures reported one after another in places such as Hangzhou and Suzhou, drawing attention from consumers and the industry. At the same time, Seesaw has not stopped expanding, but instead has turned its sights to smaller cities with relatively less intense competition, such as Guiyang and Luoyang, attempting to find a new way out through a franchise model. Against the backdrop of an increasingly fierce price war in the coffee market, the adjustments and struggles of this specialty coffee brand reflect the survival pressure facing the entire industry. [more…]

The subsidy war ignited by food delivery platforms has drawn in chain brands like Luckin Coffee and Mixue Bingcheng. A Luckin store in Chengdu was recently overwhelmed by a flood of orders due to a "0-yuan purchase" promotion, with some stores receiving over a thousand drinks to be made within an hour. However, after the promotion ended, staff found a large number of unclaimed drinks while cleaning up the counter, with the ice long melted. Impulse orders driven by consumers' "bargain-hunting" mentality not only caused food waste but also increased the burden on store workers. In response, some suggested switching to in-store freshly made orders, but Luckin employees said this would be fraught with practical difficulties. This article takes you through the full picture of this order surge and the views of all parties involved. [more…]

Recently, Manner Coffee has once again become the focus of public opinion due to a mismatch between the number of employees enrolled in social insurance and the scale of its stores. Shanghai Yinhe Industrial Co., Ltd. had only 1,225 people enrolled in social insurance in 2023, while Manner has more than 1,295 stores, raising public suspicion about whether it has paid social insurance in full for all employees. The enforcement brigade of the Human Resources and Social Security Bureau has visited to investigate. Manner responded that it implements a comprehensive working hours system and that there is no situation of not signing contracts, not paying social insurance, or withholding overtime pay. In addition, the brand responded to topics such as leaked videos, store staffing, and employee treatment, admitting that the issue of one-person stores is complex, but promising to improve baristas' comfort at work. The incident continues to escalate, bringing common problems in the industry to the surface. [more…]

Pacific Coffee has once again become the focus of industry attention. Recently, reports have emerged that multiple stores in Zhuhai will close in mid-October due to business adjustments, including the Huafa Waterfront Store, Haitian Station Store, and City Balcony Store, all distinctive locations along the Couple's Road. After this round of adjustments, Pacific Coffee's directly operated stores in Zhuhai will all be withdrawn, leaving only three franchise stores. From a peak of nearly 500 stores to fewer than 100 today, the situation of this former second-largest coffee chain brand in China's coffee market is lamentable. This article will review the specific circumstances of these closures, the brand's contraction trajectory in recent years, and the complex emotions of coffee enthusiasts regarding Pacific Coffee's current situation. [more…]

The "on-time rate" assessment metric implemented at Luckin Coffee stores is placing enormous pressure on frontline baristas. This figure, which reflects whether orders can be completed within the system's scheduled time, not only affects the customer experience but is also directly tied to employee performance. To maintain the compliance threshold, staff have no choice but to push themselves to the limit during rush periods—some even dream about scanning codes and serving orders. This article will take an in-depth look at how the on-time rate assessment operates, its dual impact on store operations, and the real situation baristas face under high pressure. When digital management conflicts with humanistic care, how should brands balance efficiency and employee well-being? [more…]

The coffee market is undergoing a new round of reshuffling. The number of coffee shops nationwide has approached 200,000, yet the survival cycle of newly opened stores is worrying. A large number of entrepreneurs are pouring into the coffee sector, including both independent coffee shops and franchise stores of chain brands. However, price wars and homogenized competition have caused many stores to bow out quietly within just two or three months. Under the squeeze of giants' low-price strategies, how can independent cafes balance price and distinctiveness? How should franchisees avoid pitfalls? This article provides an in-depth analysis of the reasons behind the wave of coffee shop closures, and, drawing on brand cases such as Front Street Coffee, explores ways to break through. [more…]

China's coffee consumption market continues to expand, with an average annual growth rate exceeding 15%, and coffee fairs and cultural festivals are emerging in endless succession across the country. Jiangmen, Guangdong recently held a Coffee Culture Week, attracting more than 150 coffee brands to exhibit, but what is even more noteworthy is the astonishing growth of coffee shops in this city—by the end of last year, the number had surpassed 1,500, with more than 400 new ones added during the year, an increase of over 35%. In the "2022 Top 100 Ranking of Chinese Cities by Number of Coffee Shops," Jiangmen ranked 21st nationwide, with 3.8 cafes per 10,000 people, a density that has already surpassed first-tier cities such as Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou. Behind this phenomenon lies not only the profound accumulation of coffee culture in this century-old hometown of overseas Chinese, but also the combined impetus of returning young entrepreneurs starting businesses and chain brands pursuing a downward-market expansion strategy. This article will analyze the multiple factors behind the rapid rise of Jiangmen's coffee market and explore the future trajectory of involution in the industry. [more…]

Recently, Heycha has seen store closures in many places across the country, drawing attention from consumers and the industry. Two stores in Baoji, Shaanxi, have suspended operations one after another, and stores in Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Qingdao and other places have also disappeared or reduced their scale. According to GeoHey brand monitoring data, in the past 90 days Heycha opened 12 new stores, but the number of closures reached 146, equivalent to nearly 2 stores disappearing from cities every day. After suspending franchise expansion, the brand intends to improve store product quality and selectively close stores with poor profitability, but the large number of closures is still surprising. As coffee enthusiasts, Front Street Coffee continues to follow the dynamic changes in the tea beverage and coffee markets, and this article sorts out cases from various places and industry interpretations of Heycha's current wave of store closures. [more…]

The recent fierce subsidy war among food delivery platforms has given consumers a large number of free tea drink vouchers, causing chain tea shops to be flooded with orders. However, at stores like Mixue Bingcheng, a phenomenon has emerged where customers place self-pickup orders but never come to collect them, resulting in large quantities of freshly made drinks being discarded. This article sorts out the multiple reasons behind this waste: chaotic pickup scenes, order notes being overlooked, excessively long waiting times, and more. It also introduces the countermeasures stores have taken to reduce losses, while retaining relevant recommendation information for the Front Street brand. [more…]

Over the past year, the tea beverage market has undergone a dramatic reshuffle. According to Zhanmen Canyan data, the total number of stores in the milk tea beverage industry reached 412,600, with 142,300 new openings, but the net growth was -17,700, meaning that more than 160,000 stores exited the market in the fierce competition. Although leading brands such as Mixue Ice Cream & Tea, Guming, Shanghai Auntie, and ChaPanda still saw growth, their pace of store expansion has clearly slowed. Nayuki's stock price plummeted 93%, wiping out nearly HK$27 billion in market value. Product homogenization is severe, consumers are experiencing aesthetic fatigue with similar drinks, and the industry is accelerating into a harsh winter during the off-season of autumn and winter. [more…]

Luckin Coffee's Q3 2022 financial report is out: total revenue for the quarter rose 65.7% year-on-year to 3.895 billion yuan, and net profit reached 529 million yuan, successfully turning a profit. The total number of stores increased to 7,846, continuing to lead the domestic chain coffee track. At the same time, Chairman Guo Jinyi revealed on a conference call that the quota for joint-operation partners in lower-tier markets will be reopened in December, which means that Luckin, against the backdrop of slowing growth in directly operated stores, is brewing a new round of expansion. Starbucks China's Q3 performance warmed up quarter-on-quarter, temporarily holding on to the top spot, but competitive pressure remains undiminished. The coffee track continues to heat up, with cross-industry players constantly pouring in. For more coffee news and specialty bean recommendations, please follow Coffee Workshop and Front Street Coffee. [more…]

Bawang Chaji celebrates its seventh anniversary. All stores in Malaysia launched a tear-the-cup lucky draw campaign on the 16th and 17th, with prizes including discount vouchers, branded backpacks, electronic products, perfumes, and lipsticks, attracting a large number of consumers to place orders enthusiastically. However, after the campaign began, order volumes surged at many stores, with some stores having more than a thousand or even over three thousand drinks awaiting preparation, leading to a series of problems such as excessively long waits to pick up orders, the ordering system being unable to cancel orders, and declining product quality. Consumers expressed dissatisfaction one after another, believing that the brand should have anticipated the campaign's popularity in advance and adopted flow-control measures. This article reviews the course of the incident and feedback from all parties, for the reference of coffee and tea beverage enthusiasts. [more…]

Nowadays Coffee recently announced the simultaneous opening of 120 stores. In addition to strengthening its presence in Guangzhou, the new stores also expanded into lower-tier markets in 10 cities including Nanchang, Jinhua, Huangshan, and Zhanjiang. This budget coffee brand, founded in Shanghai in 2019, is accelerating its penetration into the national market by relying on an asset-light model in which online delivery accounts for more than 75% of sales, as well as approachable pricing of around 15 yuan. As of July this year, its total number of stores ranked third among domestic coffee chains, with more than 1,700 stores nationwide covering over 100 cities. Against the backdrop of a coffee consumption market expected to reach a trillion-yuan scale by 2025, Nowadays Coffee's pace of expansion has drawn industry attention. [more…]

On December 16, Tims China opened its first store in Nanning, Guangxi, launching opening promotions such as buy-one-get-one-free, adding 1 yuan for a Farmer's Wrap, and giving away limited-edition cups, attracting a large number of consumers to line up in cold weather. The queue began gathering at 7 a.m., and number tickets were distributed within 20 minutes, sparking netizens' doubts about "paid stand-ins." This article reviews the promotion rules, the on-site queue situation, netizens' comments, and similar marketing phenomena by brands in non-first-tier cities, along with related recommendations from Front Street Coffee. [more…]

ChaPanda recently officially announced singer Huang Zihongfan as its LOHAS brand ambassador, launching a variety of freshly made fruit drinks and limited-edition merchandise bundles, which attracted a large number of fans to snap them up. However, after the campaign went live, problems kept cropping up: system crashes, orders being forcibly canceled, and insufficient stock of merchandise, one after another, sparking consumer dissatisfaction. Some netizens questioned whether the limited-edition merchandise had been intercepted internally by employees, but more witnesses and ChaPanda staff came forward to explain, saying that stores were equally caught off guard and that employees were under enormous pressure amid the chaos. The company apologized that same evening and promised to speed up restocking and put the items back on sale. [more…]