On November 7, the official Weibo account of Chayan Yuese announced the temporary closure of some stores in areas of Changsha where they had been densely distributed, and the related topic quickly trended on social media. On November 10, the brand further responded, saying that this was already the third round of concentrated temporary store closures this year: staying put for Chinese New Year at the beginning of the year, the resurgence of the pandemic at the end of July, and this latest adjustment. As a tea beverage brand that started in Changsha, Chayan Yuese's move has drawn widespread attention—against the backdrop of repeated pandemic outbreaks and intensifying industry competition, is its proactive contraction after dense store distribution and reassignment of staff to Liuyang, Zhuzhou, Yueyang and other places for research and site selection a stopgap measure to cope with the crisis, or is it building strength for the next round of expansion? This article sorts through the timeline and background of the three store closures and reviews founder Lü Liang's cautious attitude toward brand expansion. [more…]

Recently, many consumers have noticed that Manner coffee shops near them have suddenly closed their doors, showing "resting" on the mini-program, with no clear notice and no timetable for resuming business. It is understood that this phenomenon is closely related to Manner's internal personnel adjustments: baristas with excessive working hours are arranged to take leave, while those with insufficient hours are transferred to other stores for support, resulting in some stores having to temporarily close. At the same time, the brand has also shortened the operating hours of some stores, with morning shifts starting later and evening shifts ending earlier. Whether this adjustment can allow Manner to find a balance between chain expansion, specialty quality, and affordable positioning has become a focal point of industry attention. [more…]

The subsidy war among food delivery platforms continues to heat up, with large-value coupons frequently being thrust at consumers, and the pressure on in-store production has surged accordingly. Recently, Meituan released a batch of delivery coupons for Heytea that can be expanded to "18-18," meaning a drink priced at over twenty yuan costs only a few yuan after the discount, and can even be made nearly free by stacking red envelopes. As soon as the news came out, netizens rushed to place orders, and Heytea stores in many parts of the country saw orders surge in a short time. Delivery rider capacity could not keep up, and delays, stuck orders, and no one accepting deliveries occurred one after another. Some stores, facing shortages of both materials and staff, could only temporarily close and reopen after all the backlogged drinks had been made. At the same time, frontline employees poured out their daily experiences of order explosions on social platforms, busy from morning to night, with no time even to eat or drink. [more…]

Blue Bottle Coffee's first mainland China store—Shanghai Yutong Store—went from a phenomenon-level check-in spot with seven-hour queues on opening day to announcing a temporary closure in response to epidemic prevention and control measures. What was the process like? This article reviews the changes in customer flow since the store opened, adjustments to epidemic prevention measures, and the development of Shanghai's current round of the epidemic. As a brand widely regarded as the "textbook" example in the specialty coffee field, Blue Bottle's temporary farewell this time has left many coffee lovers feeling regretful. In the face of the epidemic, health always comes first, and we will continue to follow updates on its reopening. [more…]

At noon on August 17, a violent conflict broke out between staff and customers at a Heytea franchise store in a Wanda Plaza in Luoyang, Henan. The two sides exchanged insults and threw items from the counter, leaving the scene in chaos. The incident quickly trended on Weibo, drawing widespread attention. After the incident, the store closed early for rectification, and the two parties involved reached a settlement. The next day, Heytea's official ordering mini-program showed the store as being in "temporary closure" mode, and the brand's customer service declined to comment on the reason for the closure. This article sorts through the course of the incident, witness accounts, and responses from all sides to present the full picture of the conflict. [more…]

Recently, news that two HEYTEA stores at JD.com's Beijing headquarters suddenly closed has continued to spread on social media, while an internal notice in circulation showed that JD.com prohibited cooperation with HEYTEA and restricted its products from entering office areas. The incident quickly sparked widespread speculation about the relationship between HEYTEA and JD.com. Some linked it to HEYTEA's delayed entry onto JD.com's food delivery platform, while others dug up old news of HEYTEA publicly boycotting food delivery. JD.com insiders later denied the rumors, and the stores resumed operations, with the closure explained as temporary water and electricity maintenance. This confusing business battle reflects the delicate positioning of tea beverage brands among third-party food delivery platforms. [more…]

Affected by the global boycott wave triggered by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Starbucks has suffered a severe blow in the Malaysian market. According to multiple media reports, nearly 50 Starbucks stores in the country have suspended operations over the past year, and operator Berjaya Food has fallen into losses for four consecutive quarters. Although the brand has repeatedly clarified its position and taken public welfare measures in an attempt to win back consumer trust, the boycott movement has still not subsided, and store sales have been slow to recover. This turmoil not only reflects the profound impact of geopolitics on commercial brands, but also leaves Starbucks' future in the Southeast Asian market full of uncertainty. [more…]

Police in Jiading, Shanghai recently cracked a coffee shop equipment theft case. The suspect, taking advantage of the shop's temporary closure, impersonated an employee and brazenly hauled away a grinder and a water boiler, with the stolen goods valued at over 40,000 yuan. The amusing twist is that the coffee beans he accidentally spilled during his first offense became the key clue that led police to quickly identify him. This case serves as a reminder to coffee shop operators to always check that doors and windows are locked when leaving the premises, and never to give lawbreakers an opportunity. In daily operations, besides taking security measures, the choice of coffee equipment also deserves careful attention. Front Street Coffee's various brewing tools are favored by many shop owners for their consistent quality. [more…]

Recently, a post on social media about a Guming campus store suddenly closing after a collaborative event ended sparked widespread discussion. The poster discovered that the store was still operating during the collaboration with Honkai: Star Rail, but as soon as the event ended, it was deserted overnight—equipment and promotional materials all vanished, with only the lightbox sign left intact. Netizens speculated whether the store had gone bankrupt due to the collaboration, but the poster later clarified that the closure was actually due to lease expiration or operating losses, with no direct link to the collaboration. This incident reflects the hidden operational challenges behind the tea beverage brand collaboration craze: a surge in orders does not equal profitability, and after the hype fades, some stores still cannot escape the fate of closing. [more…]

Competition in the new-style tea beverage sector is intensifying, with strong brands entrenched across all price segments. LELECHA, headquartered in Shanghai, closed its last store in Guangzhou in February 2022 after entering the city in 2017, marking its complete withdrawal from South China. Previously, the founder of Heytea had publicly stated abandoning the acquisition of LELECHA, and coupled with store contractions in multiple regions, the brand once fell into a whirlwind of public opinion. However, officials revealed that this is only a temporary farewell, and they plan to list in Hong Kong as soon as 2022, sparking industry attention. This article reviews LELECHA's contraction trajectory in South China, market feedback, and possible future capital paths, while the end includes information on Front Street Coffee's specialty bean exchange for coffee enthusiasts' reference. [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…]

Starbucks recently implemented a $1 billion restructuring plan, closing hundreds of underperforming company-operated stores in North America, which triggered a wave of mass layoffs. In front of the global headquarters in Seattle's SoDo district, baristas and union members gathered to protest, holding up signs to express strong dissatisfaction with the company's decisions. Laid-off employees said they only learned of their job losses through prerecorded phone calls and social media, without being offered any opportunity to transfer. Union data shows that 59 unionized stores across the United States were permanently closed in this round of adjustments, with 369 people in Washington State facing permanent layoffs. Meanwhile, New York City regulators also pointed out that Starbucks is suspected of violating labor laws. This labor conflict is continuing to escalate, and the union stated that if their demands are not addressed, they do not rule out expanding actions or even going on strike. [more…]

Recently, many consumers have noticed that shelves at some Manner stores with in-house bakery sections were suddenly cleared, and staff gave inconsistent explanations for why the bread was pulled—some cited equipment upgrades, while others bluntly said the products were not profitable. Manner's official customer service responded that it was a temporary adjustment, but stores in multiple locations have already shown sold-out status. This change has left fans of its affordable freshly made bread deeply worried, and whether Manner will completely discontinue its bakery products remains uncertain. [more…]

Sexy Tea, the Changsha tea beverage brand that has captured the hearts of consumers nationwide, is finally set to leave Central China and enter Western China. Following the grand scene of eight-hour queues triggered by its first store in Wuhan at the end of 2020, Sexy Tea officially confirmed it will open in Chongqing this June and has already reached intentions with four shopping malls: Raffles City, Longfor Times Paradise Walk, Longfor North City Paradise Walk, and MixC. From the retreat of its Shenzhen pop-up store, to three waves of store closures in 2021, and then to reflecting on blind expansion and "traveling light to new cities," Sexy Tea's expansion path has been full of twists and turns. Whether this entry into Chongqing can hold the mid-range position amid the chaotic battle of high-end tea drinks cutting prices to seize the market is worth watching. [more…]

Mstand's first store in Quanzhou was recently found by netizens to have been vacated, with equipment removed and all official channels showing it as closed. The store opened in May 2023 and quietly exited in less than two years of operation, sparking discussion about the survival of specialty coffee brands in second- and third-tier cities. Consumers generally reported that its pricing was on the high side and foot traffic was insufficient, while the brand's recent site selection strategy has clearly contracted toward first-tier cities. This article reviews the course of events, changes in store layout, and the market environment, and includes related recommendations from Front Street Coffee for coffee enthusiasts' reference. [more…]

After the adjustment of pandemic control policies, coffee beverage shops did not usher in a consumer rebound as expected, but instead fell into the predicament of "no customers during lockdowns, no staff after reopening." Announcements of coffee shop closures due to infections among owners or employees frequently appeared on social platforms, takeout orders piled up with no one to accept them, and subway passenger flow data dropped significantly. The catering industry faces dual pressures of rent and operating costs at the year-end juncture, and experts expect it will need to endure several months of chaos before gradually recovering. This article reviews the real situation of the coffee beverage industry after the pandemic reopening and retains relevant recommendation information about Front Street Coffee. [more…]

Honduras is currently experiencing a severe socio-economic crisis. Corruption, institutional collapse, the impact of the pandemic, and hurricane disasters have compounded, pushing poverty rates to extreme levels, causing widespread closures in the export processing industry and the loss of over 100,000 jobs, with many of the unemployed choosing to emigrate abroad. This wave of emigration directly affects the coffee growing industry—as the harvest season approaches, there is a severe shortage of skilled pickers, and the prospects for the harvest are worrisome. At the same time, Honduran organic coffee beans have been successfully exported to China, with 12 companies authorized to trade with China, bringing a glimmer of hope for economic recovery. This article will outline the root causes of the crisis, its impact on the industry, and the latest trade developments. [more…]

Honduras, as the largest producer and exporter of washed Arabica coffee in Central America, is currently facing severe environmental challenges. Persistent high temperatures and drought have triggered large-scale forest fires, causing air quality to deteriorate sharply, and an indefinite red alert has been activated in the central region of the capital. Meanwhile, the El Niño phenomenon has delayed the rainy season, with rainfall significantly lower than in previous years. The dual impact of air pollution and drought comes at a critical time for coffee tree growth and flowering, and major producing regions are likely to be severely affected. Export data for the 2023/24 season has already shown a downward trend, and the outlook for Honduras's coffee industry is concerning. [more…]

Indonesia is located at the junction of multiple geological plates and has the largest number of active volcanoes in the world, with 127 active volcanoes within its territory. Recently, multiple volcanoes in the country have erupted intensively, and authorities have raised the alert level to the highest. Volcanic activity not only threatens the safety of local residents, but also poses serious risks to agriculture, including coffee. The current period coincides with the Robusta coffee harvest, and some producers expect output on certain islands to decrease by 20%, while total national production may fall by 50%. Combined with tight global inventories caused by drought in Vietnam, Robusta coffee prices may be pushed further higher. This article will review the specific details of these volcanic eruptions and their potential impact on the coffee industry. [more…]

Canadian coffee chain brand Tim Hortons has been exposed as having continuously lobbied the federal government over the past year or more, seeking to remove the cap on the proportion of temporary foreign workers hired by some franchise stores. Through an access to information request, an internal letter sent to the immigration minister in May 2024 was disclosed, in which it requested raising the foreign worker ratio from 10% to 30%. Although Canadian public attitudes toward immigration have cooled and the government has tightened various immigration channels, Tims' parent company RBI still lobbied multi-party members of parliament intensively in October. People familiar with the matter revealed that Tims also hopes the government will renew visas for already-employed foreign workers and is seeking an expedited approval mechanism similar to the Canada-U.S. fast-track border clearance. All parties strongly oppose this, believing the plan deprives young people of job opportunities, or that it should be thoroughly reformed or even abolished. [more…]