By Peter Tobin
Business is bubbling as Xing Fu Tang, the new bubble tea destination, opens on Main Street. Photo by Terry West
A shame if you missed the parade on Main Street last month. Not one with bands and floats mind you but one with a mountain of balloons, a singer strumming his guitar and a woman in a flamboyant purple dress who welcomed you in for a round of bubble tea.
The occasion was the July 20/21 Grand Opening of Xing Fu Tang Bubble Tea. For hours, happy customers, about five hundred strong each day, gathered in a line that snaked along Main outside the Milieu shops, then stretched well down Avenue des Oblats. The happy crowd consisted of a mix of youngsters to seniors, often clustered together with family or friends. A big draw was the offer of a free bubble tea to the first 100 customers on each day of the weekend.
Xing Fu Tang (translation: House of Happiness) is a chain of bubble tea restaurants founded in Taiwan in 2018. Currently it has over 150 locations throughout the world. The first Canadian franchise opened in Vancouver in 2018.
Line-up counts on Opening weekend at Xing Fu Tang numbered about 1,000, buoyed by a giveaway promotion. But location manager Rose Nguyen believes quality ingredients will keep customers coming back. Photo by Terry West
The major stakeholder in our Old Ottawa East bubble tea franchise and the outlet’s manager is Rose Nguyen, a young woman with an engaging personality and an interesting background. Born and raised in Vietnam and with family still there, Nguyen had an early passion for sweet desserts and bubble tea. On visits to nearby countries Taiwan, South Korea and Thailand, she searched out dessert and bubble tea shops.
Leaving home at age 22, she moved to the United Kingdom with Jack Vu, the man who was soon to become not only her business partner but also her husband. Both spent their UK years studying management issues and working full time before coming to Ottawa just a few years ago. They are also both recent Algonquin College graduates of business programs. The young couple currently reside in Barrhaven but are planning to relocate to Old Ottawa East in the near future.
In an email exchange with The Mainstreeter, Nguyen explained the roots of her business interest. “My journey into the bubble tea business began with my passion for bubble tea and dessert. Choosing bubble tea was a natural decision because I had worked as a manager for a bubble tea chain for years before deciding to start my own. Additionally, I wanted to bring the quality of freshly made tapioca pearls to Ottawa, so everyone can taste the difference. We use high quality ingredients and strive to create a welcoming experience for all.”
Without exception, the customers this writer spoke to were very positive about their individual selections of bubble tea. Twenty-somethings Shireen from Centretown and Nadine from Nepean were particularly enthusiastic about their choices. A man I spoke to recently called the tapioca pearls amazing.
Opening day reviews on social media are also in for Xing Fu Tang, and here’s a representative sample from one happy customer:
“Finally, I found the bubble tea shop of my heart here in Ottawa. The rich tea flavour mixed with the fragrant milk and not-too-sweet taste combined with the sweetness of the brown sugar pearls is truly perfect. And for the first time, I drank fresh milk with brown sugar pearls topped with a rich vanilla-scented cream (I guess) that was very delicious.”
“I went on the grand opening day in the afternoon; although there was still a long line, the drinks were served very quickly!!! The second time I came back, they already had tables and chairs to sit down and a few small tables outside in the yard. Love it !!!”
