The rise of the bubble tea cafe in Greenwich is prompting a frothy debate about how to stay relevant in a crowded market.

Greenwich is now home to more than 20 bubble tea restaurants, reflecting a worldwide craze for the beverage that was created in Taiwan in the 1980s. The tea-based drink, which contains chewy tapioca balls called boba or pearls, anecdotally arrived in the UK in 2011.

Tony from Meow Tea Moment, which opened in Greenwich in November, told Southlondonlines: “We opened the cafe with hope that our most popular products such as pearl milk tea and apple fruit tea will sell well, but we incorporate food from own culture into the menu to be unique”.

Meow Tea Moment, the newest bubble tea cafe to hit the high street in Greenwich, is focussed on finding unique selling points to stay ahead of the competition. Its owners, who are from Hong Kong, have incorporated local specialities such as egg waffles and egg tarts into the menu. The cafe has a bespoke decor, with pictures of the family’s cats, a running theme in their product design. 

But Mooboo Bubble Tea, which has been in Greenwich for more than two years, says it is not fazed by newer competitors. Staff at Mooboo, just down the road from Meow Tea Moment, say they are “not worried” about being pushed out of the market. The cafe, they say, stays relevant by introducing new menu items as the seasons change.

Mooboo worker Yamni says it has “a new winter drink called Fuyumi”. Co-worker Jani adds: “We also have a top six drinks of the week list to help customers decide what to have”.

As the competition for bubble tea drinkers in Greenwich heats up, Tony of Meow Tea Moment says business is good. “Students and parents with young children are the customers we see the most,” he says. 

Evie, a student at the University of Greenwich, said “my favourite thing to do after class is to get bubble tea”.

She said she enjoys visiting the newest bubble tea cafes places and it is noticeable that there are rather a lot now. After living in Greenwich for three years, Evie says it’s clear they are enjoying a “rise in popularity, especially with young people”.  But she did wonder, she added, how bubble tea cafes manage to survive in such a crowded market.

“It makes me wonder how they stay open in such a crowded market”

Evie, a local Greenwich student

That’s a question many cafe-owners themselves are asking, as yet more outlets open.