SINGAPORE: Even before the official opening of bubble tea chain Gong Cha’s new flagship outlet at SingPost Centre, a queue of excited customers had already formed, some of whom had queued overnight to get their fix of bubble tea.
More than 200 people were in line ahead of the store’s opening on Friday (Dec 1), according to Gong Cha staff.
One junior college student, who wanted to be known only as Daryl, was the first in line, together with his friends. He had queued since 10pm on Thursday.
“We really like Gong Cha and we saw the store was opening when we passed by at around 5pm yesterday,” he said. “Then when I saw there was no one in line at around 10pm, I decided to queue.”
The group spent their time doing work and watching movies. And they got a surprise when the chain’s CEO – Mr Kang Puay Seng – showed up with supper for them.
“We were quite shocked when we found out who he was, and he chatted with us and said we were passionate about Gong Cha,” said Daryl.
For his effort, he got to participate in the official launch ceremony by inserting a giant straw into a cup of bubble tea – and 99 cups of free drinks.
There were also perks for those in line, including getting a medium pearl milk tea for S$1, and a free limited-edition Gong Cha mug.
The 850-sq-ft outlet is furnished with a “fresh F&B concept”, aimed at providing customers with the “Gong Cha experience”, the company said.
Gong Cha will also be offering a snack menu for the first time, which includes a tea-infused biscuit creation.
The company plans to open 50 stores islandwide over the next five years.