Boba Isn’t a Fad: How Gong cha Is Scaling Bubble Tea With Automation

Host (0:00): Hey everybody, I gotta tell you, we're gonna talk about BUILT. BUILT Hospitality. Millions of people use BUILT every day. That's right, every day to earn awards on housing and in their neighborhood. But now, now it extends to your restroom.

Host (0:14): That's where Built Hospitality comes in. Built Hospitality shapes how guests are recognized and taken care of. Built's restaurant facing platform is designed specifically for dining operators to drive loyalty with their guests. It combines reservations, guest preferences, VIP management, and payments all into one platform alongside an agentic concierge. That's right.

Host (0:40): An AI concierge that thoughtfully designs and executes experiences around your guests' tastes, using the latest and greatest in AI technology. When a guest walks in, your team already knows what they like without digging through notes. Built Hospitality works across the entire guest journey. That's right. The entire guest journey from delivering a complimentary course at the right moment, just the right moment, sending a personalized offer that brings them coming back again and again and again.

Host (1:11): That's right. That's what Built Hospitality is doing. It is allowing you to communicate with your guests and keep them coming back over and over. Make every guest feel like a regular every time, not just their first time, every time. They're a regular.

Host (1:26): Built Hospitality is available now for restaurant groups everywhere. Learn more at builtdining.com backslash hangout. That's builtdining.com backslash hangout, and check out what Built Hospitality is gonna do for you and your restaurant.

Unknown Speaker (1:41): Let's talk about let's talk about boba.

Unknown Speaker (1:43): Okay.

Jimmy (1:44): I think there are a lot of people out there that still think this is a niche product, and the numbers say something completely otherwise.

Unknown Speaker (1:53): Right.

Unknown Speaker (1:53): Okay? It is already a nearly $3,000,000,000 market, and it is projected to double.

Unknown Speaker (2:03): We are back here at Workstream Studios, the hospitality hangout, Jimmy, at the Workstream Studios here at the National Restaurant Association show. We're at the hangout, chat to the restaurant guy. We had a great guest. We just continue with knowledge. Jimmy, if we're here with our

Unknown Speaker (2:20): friends and partners from work stream, we are we are pumping out this little series. We heart hospitality, and I'm I'm I'm Brandon's finance guy. Our next guest, works for a brand that started in Taiwan back in twenty o twenty o six. It now has over two thousand two thousand two hundred locations across 33 international markets. It's on an absolute tear in The US.

Unknown Speaker (2:45): Chris Knopsey, director of direct franchising and operations at Gong Cha America. Welcome to the Hangout, Chris.

Host (2:51): Alright. Listen. Let's jump into it here. Alright. You actually started in politics.

Unknown Speaker (2:55): Yes.

Host (2:55): So tell us how you go from politics into franchise operations of one of the fastest growing, like restaurants in in the world.

Chris (3:05): Right. So, yeah, I I did start in politics. Who'd you work for? Education. So I worked for a state senator in Michigan.

Unknown Speaker (3:11): Okay. Grew up in Michigan. Went from politics to pizza. Worked for Domino's.

Unknown Speaker (3:15): Yeah. You went to Domino's.

Unknown Speaker (3:16): Pizza. Yes.

Unknown Speaker (3:17): So so you you took a little dabble in politics.

Unknown Speaker (3:20): Yes.

Host (3:20): You were sick to your stomach. And you go to Domino's and you loved it. You fell in love.

Chris (3:25): Yes. Got got fully ingrained with operations, and, and definitely love that side of the business, which is what I've stuck with.

Unknown Speaker (3:33): Really So how old were you when you got to, when you left Apollo? You had to be pretty early, right?

Unknown Speaker (3:37): And pretty young.

Unknown Speaker (3:38): It was early in my career. Was early in the career. It's important that you tell me this. I don't remember my age at that point, but yeah. Were

Unknown Speaker (3:46): 25?

Unknown Speaker (3:47): No, was probably 25.

Unknown Speaker (3:49): 25. You see where I'm

Unknown Speaker (3:50): going with

Unknown Speaker (3:50): this Jimmy? Because I think he's a young hustler. Yes.

Unknown Speaker (3:53): Young hustler. That was a hustler because you started really down to the Yes.

Unknown Speaker (3:56): Like what did you do at Domino's?

Chris (3:57): So I was in operations there in part of their leadership development program. Moved around, got to live in Las Vegas. Nice. Got to live in Salt Lake City, Utah, grocery markets. But, yeah, really that that kind of laid the foundation for

Unknown Speaker (4:12): for them working You weren't dumb. You were like, oh my god. I love restaurants, and I'm gonna keep going. Then you went to Burger King, right?

Chris (4:18): Went to Burger King. Yes. Restaurant Brands International.

Host (4:21): Right, RBI. RBI. And now you're a gun show, the fastest growing mean, you traveling a lot?

Unknown Speaker (4:25): Travel quite a bit, yes. Are you

Unknown Speaker (4:27): going to Korea a

Chris (4:27): lot? I was actually last month in Tokyo for our convention.

Unknown Speaker (4:31): What did think of Tokyo?

Chris (4:32): It was amazing city, You should. First Amazing food, amazing people, amazing gongcha operations. So got to see our stores over there, executing at a very high level and bringing some of those ideas back here to The US with our franchisees.

Unknown Speaker (4:47): Let's talk about it, Jimmy.

Unknown Speaker (4:49): Let's talk about boba.

Unknown Speaker (4:50): Okay.

Jimmy (4:50): I think there are a lot of people out there that still think this is a niche product, and the numbers say something completely otherwise.

Unknown Speaker (4:59): Right.

Jimmy (5:00): Okay. It is already a nearly $3,000,000,000 market and it is projected to double, in about even less than a decade. Eight years.

Unknown Speaker (5:09): What would that put that at Jimmy?

Unknown Speaker (5:10): It would take it to 6,000,000,000.

Unknown Speaker (5:12): Wait a minute.

Jimmy (5:12): Okay. Yes. So, and it's one of the fastest growing, The US represents one of the fastest growing territories, not just for the product, but for your company.

Unknown Speaker (5:22): Yes.

Jimmy (5:22): So 70% of sales in The US are coming from a demographic that other brands and other categories would be envious of the eighteen to thirty four demographic. Starbucks, you wanna take a a tip of the hat? Starbucks is putting, boba tea sorry, boba on its summer menu. I think that's the moment, you know, this trend has gone mainstream. So let's oh, and finally, I'd say, Gong Cha, entrepreneurs, franchise 500 list, not one chatty, not two, five consecutive years.

Unknown Speaker (5:50): Yes. Okay? So let's talk about the operations and what's actually driving. What is the X factor from Gong Cha that separates it from the pack?

Chris (5:59): Yeah. So one of the things, that's that's different for us is is just the focus on simplicity and operations, right? And so, in our stores, our products are coming in shelf stable. So that means that we're getting, you know, one truck delivery maybe every three weeks, four weeks, as opposed to some of these other brands where maybe two times a week, right? So that helps.

Unknown Speaker (6:18): So that operationally helps efficiency.

Chris (6:20): It helps efficiency with the supply chain. Operationally in our stores, one of the exciting things that we've been working on is, we know our guests like customization, especially that demographic you mentioned. Somebody who maybe is like, yeah, is this a fad? Is this a trend? Certainly, you know, when I started two years ago with the company, that's something I thought of.

Chris (6:39): And then I, I did my research and I realized, no, this isn't a fad. It's not a trend. It's here to stay. And if you, you know, ask anyone who's, who's older, ask your kids, right? Do they know about bubble tea?

Unknown Speaker (6:51): Do they know

Unknown Speaker (6:51): Oh, about bubble my kids are in their twenties. They love it.

Unknown Speaker (6:53): They love it.

Unknown Speaker (6:54): Yes. They love it.

Unknown Speaker (6:54): Yeah. It's amazing. That's a

Unknown Speaker (6:55): question about the fad and the trend. Yes. There like, when does it, like you said you did research. So when does it be like, oh, that's not a fad anymore. Like when is it a fad and when is it a trend?

Unknown Speaker (7:07): And when is it like, no, no, this is not going away? Like when is it?

Chris (7:10): Yeah. So when, when you think about, we've got, you know, 2200 locations across the globe. Right. All of them are, are, you know, we're continuing to open in new markets that we're not even there yet, right?

Unknown Speaker (7:19): Right,

Chris (7:20): right. California, we've got a lot of stores there, but we haven't even scratched the surface in terms of the market share that we know is there. As there's a lot of mom and pops that, know, we we have efficiencies, with scale, as well as our operations. A new piece of equipment that we have, the SuperWu, that

Unknown Speaker (7:37): Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Don't start taking my that's my breaking news. That's my breaking news. We'll go to the break.

Unknown Speaker (7:43): We got breaking news. Jimmy.

Unknown Speaker (7:44): Play the music. The breaking news.

Host (7:45): We got breaking news Not right just Wu. Gangsha Super Bowl. Yeah. I mean, this is major technology news. This is Super Wu beverage automation named after the founder.

Host (7:56): I'm gonna butcher his name, but I'll say Wu Zhen Hua.

Unknown Speaker (8:01): I think you did good.

Host (8:03): I did well. And self ordered kiosk. So tell us what is the Super Wu? I like the name. Did you name it?

Unknown Speaker (8:09): And what do the hell does it do?

Unknown Speaker (8:10): So I can't take the credit for the name, but-

Unknown Speaker (8:12): Good name though, Super Wu.

Chris (8:13): It is. It's a great name, and everybody should know what it is now, right? So it dispenses our teas, our syrups, and, helps us to, you know, improve productivity. So essentially, it's 1.5 meters wide, the unit that we're rolling out here in The US. Wow.

Chris (8:29): Fits into tight spaces, which gives us a huge competitive advantage.

Unknown Speaker (8:33): Last year, what does it do?

Chris (8:34): Yeah, so it dispenses RT. So operationally, a guest places an order, kiosk, mobile order, through POS, spits out a sticker in the back of house with a QR code, one centimeter by one centimeter. Barista puts it on cup, scans cup, puts a shaker on the machine, the machine has a scale that's highly sensitive, dispenses all of the ingredients. The barista puts the ice in, shakes it, pours it in the cup, cup seals it, and it's out the door. So forty three seconds is That's our

Host (9:02): exactly perfect amount of everything.

Chris (9:05): Of everything. Even with all of the customizations that a guest may have, which there are thousands of combinations of our drinks that you could potentially So,

Unknown Speaker (9:12): you've eliminated that whole, you see it all over social media when someone puts in the Starbucks order and it's Right. Like And someone has to make it. Now, you can customize as long as you want because it's just that machine dispensing.

Chris (9:26): You can get it sweet. If you want it sweeter, can get it less sweet. Can get it

Unknown Speaker (9:30): Jimmy orders the most ridiculous Starbucks order.

Unknown Speaker (9:33): Oh, it's called black coffee. Yeah. Sorry. Actually, that's not correct. It's called hot black coffee.

Unknown Speaker (9:38): That's ridiculous. And Jassy came in and gave me iced, coffee with milk.

Unknown Speaker (9:43): And I like everything wrong. Delicious.

Unknown Speaker (9:45): You you you need a bubble tea is what you need in it.

Jimmy (9:47): Yeah, Jimmy. I wanna stick with a gunshot two point o and super woah. Because I think when we, when people, when companies start rolling out tech, I think there's always a thought that it's, replacing human capital and it's, somewhat in incongruent, with, with, with, with the employees. And the fact is that that could not be farther from the case. What you're doing is removing the repetitive tasks.

Jimmy (10:07): Correct. And you're allowing your team to be more engaging and focused on the guests. You still talk about the importance of it's helping with easy onboarding, it's reducing stress of your team, which is so important. And it allows time for your team really to have more guest interaction, which is clearly so much more important. So, so talk about, you know, talk about the human infrastructure behind Gung Cha two point zero.

Unknown Speaker (10:32): Right.

Jimmy (10:32): Because I think people hear the tech, the super woah, they're like, oh, they're ripping out people. No, no, no, It's really about the engagement and leveraging the technology for better guests.

Unknown Speaker (10:40): Right, right, consistency, every drink is exactly delicious.

Unknown Speaker (10:44): Talk about the human

Chris (10:45): capital So the human element of this is that now our team members are able to focus on the guests. So we've implemented a guest handoff of our drinks to where drinks are handed over with two hands. And that's leaning in on our cultural heritage.

Unknown Speaker (10:57): Was gonna say that's very

Chris (10:58): When you hand a business card in So a nation country, you hand it with two that's a little nod to that. But really it is making that, you know, the opening process for getting a store open in the morning, the closing process at the end of the day shorter, so that team member, ultimately, they are having a better experience. They are able to focus on the guests. They are able to greet our guests when they walk through the door. Our guests love it.

Chris (11:20): So our guests love that their product, if they order it that way, it's gonna be the exact same way the next time and the time again and time again, regardless of location. If you're in California, Texas, you're all the way over in New York, you can have your brown sugar milk tea with pearls, and it's gonna taste amazing.

Jimmy (11:36): I also imagine the demographic you're working with, particularly on the younger side of the 18, that's a digitally native.

Unknown Speaker (11:43): Yes.

Jimmy (11:43): Demographic. So the engagement with the kiosk actually is not just helpful for all the reasons you said it, but it's actually meeting those guests where they're at. Right. And I think that's probably, that's probably appreciated by the guests and attracting them.

Unknown Speaker (11:56): It is. It is.

Unknown Speaker (11:57): They, they're very customer. Like Jimmy's dad is, well, how old's Carl these days?

Unknown Speaker (12:00): Carl's 89. He's 89. He preferred not to have to order on an iPad. Yeah. He doesn't wanna do that.

Unknown Speaker (12:06): He wants a waiter. He wants, he doesn't know from that.

Unknown Speaker (12:08): But I explained to my dad, he may not be the necessarily the exact the ICP, the ideal customer profile.

Unknown Speaker (12:14): Well, he doesn't feel that way, Jimmy.

Unknown Speaker (12:15): He feels that I don't understand, Jimmy.

Unknown Speaker (12:18): He feels there's no

Unknown Speaker (12:19): respect. Yes.

Unknown Speaker (12:20): Right? Well, I I agree with you. But I mean, with with 20 you have 2,200 stores in Korea and how and you have a Global.

Unknown Speaker (12:26): Global. Yes.

Unknown Speaker (12:28): And like 200 in America now?

Chris (12:29): Yep. 245 here in the, in The United States.

Unknown Speaker (12:32): I mean, how many people work for you guys totally?

Chris (12:34): I mean, we've got thousands, but the good part is here at our stores, it only takes, you know, two employees, one, two employees with the machine to be able to operate our stores. So really does, you know, give the operator, you know, reduce problems, right?

Unknown Speaker (12:50): Yeah, no, I'm all in on that. I was trying to get at is having so many people working I for a company like mean, I know this is not, I mean, you're an ops. So you understand, I mean, you're in franchising, but you're also in operations. Efficiencies are very important. And I was saying, I think also part of the efficiency to Jimmy's point is like, we're not trying to put people out of a job here.

Host (13:13): You're making their job, it's the product is more efficient and they get more time to engage with the guests and be what's important. But you've got thousands and thousands of people working for you and turnover, you can't afford turnover.

Chris (13:25): Right. It's very expensive. And this does, you know, our turnover numbers compared to others in the industry are, you know, is better, right? So, and it's things like this, it's things like the e learning that we have in place to support The initiatives like amount of time it takes to get an employee up to speed when you're providing them something like this, much shorter, right? Which, you know, just overall, you know, is a better experience for that team member.

Host (13:49): Exactly, a 100%. And you need great technology the hiring and the HR and the compliance and the payroll, all that, because you want that makes the employees happier. And Jimmy, a happy employee is a,

Unknown Speaker (14:06): I'm gonna say good for your guests. Yes. Yes. Jimmy. Yes.

Unknown Speaker (14:09): Is for everybody. Yes.

Unknown Speaker (14:11): And what are the three B's Jimmy?

Jimmy (14:13): Prioritizing passionate people. Right?

Unknown Speaker (14:17): And profit.

Unknown Speaker (14:18): You know And profit. Four p's. Yeah.

Unknown Speaker (14:20): Four p's. Forgot the fourth one.

Unknown Speaker (14:21): That was Chris came up with that, by the That's for his four p's.

Unknown Speaker (14:23): He gets four p's.

Unknown Speaker (14:24): Yes.

Unknown Speaker (14:25): Then I was getting three p's. Jimmy? Yes. You know you know

Host (14:28): how important, human capital is?

Jimmy (14:30): Yes. I do. And I I love what you guys are doing. I understand you're now working with Workstream. We've been embracing Workstream just because at the end of the day, and while we focus heavily on technology, this is not a technology business.

Jimmy (14:42): This is a people business. It's an F and B business that can be enhanced, leveraged, supported by tech. So whenever we see technology that can be helpful to not just companies, not just brands, but particularly on the people side, we embrace them with that. We we we love working with this crew and we look forward to hearing how you're gonna be doing with them.

Host (14:59): And that plug from Jimmy was brought to you by Workstream. That's right. Workstream.

Unknown Speaker (15:03): Be hard

Unknown Speaker (15:04): hospitality payroll and HR for growing restaurants.

Unknown Speaker (15:07): Be hard hospitality. We gotta take a quick break. Yes.

Host (15:09): Okay. Be right back with the hospitality hangout presented by our friends at Workstream. Don't go anywhere. Be right back. We got a lot.

Unknown Speaker (15:15): We got the, fake news, Jimmy. Two truths and a lot.

Unknown Speaker (15:18): We got

Host (15:18): two truths and a lie. We got hot and not, and we got the brand of quick fire. So don't go ahead. Be right back. Stay with us.

Host (15:24): Hey, everybody. I gotta tell you. We're gonna talk about BUILT. BUILT hospitality. Millions of people use BUILT every day.

Host (15:31): That's right. Every day to earn awards on housing and in their neighborhood. But now now it extends to your restaurant. That's where BUILT Hospitality comes in. BUILT Hospitality shapes how guests are recognized and taken care of.

Host (15:45): BUILT's restaurant facing platform is designed specifically for dining operators to drive loyalty with their guests. It combines reservations, guest preferences, VIP management, and payments all into one platform alongside an agentic concierge. That's right. An AI concierge that thoughtfully designs and executes experiences around your guests' tastes, using the latest and greatest in AI technology. When a guest walks in, your team already knows what they like without digging through notes.

Host (16:20): Built hospitality works across the entire guest journey. That's right. The entire guest journey from delivering a complimentary course at the right moment, just the right moment, sending a personalized offer that brings them coming back again and again and again. That's right. That's what Built Hospitality is doing.

Host (16:38): It is allowing you to communicate with your guests and keep them coming back over and over. Make every guest feel like a regular every time, not just their first time, every time They're a regular. Built Hospitality is available now for restaurant groups everywhere. Learn more at builtdining.com backslash Hangout. That's builtdining.com backslash Hangout and check out what Built Hospitality is gonna do for you and your restaurant.

Unknown Speaker (17:06): All right, and we are back. We are back with Chris from Gong Cha. Gong Cha America. Is it boba tea or boba tea? Boba tea.

Unknown Speaker (17:16): Boba, like Boba Fett?

Chris (17:18): Yes. Boba or pearls, call them. Yeah, either or.

Host (17:21): Is that proprietary gongcha or that's a, that's like a boba as everybody does

Chris (17:26): boba? Boba, yeah. Everybody could call it boba. They're big boba. Not all boba is created equal.

Chris (17:32): What do you mean

Unknown Speaker (17:33): by that? Gunkcha. Yeah. Not all boba is created equal.

Unknown Speaker (17:36): And what does makes yours better? Ours is made love. There is love. There is love. It's made in store.

Chris (17:41): So you could smell it, right? When you walk into our store, you could smell the boba, thing. Thank you Drew, Wait, ice

Host (17:49): what did you just have? Our boba like Drew came in with a tea and then threw my whole

Unknown Speaker (17:53): drink We've got our, you know, brown sugar, that you, you just smell the sweetness of the boba being produced in store. But it is, but really

Unknown Speaker (17:59): at the end day, it's really love, isn't it?

Unknown Speaker (18:01): It is. Yeah.

Unknown Speaker (18:02): Because school loves hospitality more than Gong Cha. There we go. Jimmy.

Unknown Speaker (18:05): Let's play two shoes.

Unknown Speaker (18:06): I'm gonna read you some headlines. I'm playing you. These are real headlines.

Unknown Speaker (18:10): I'm telling you.

Unknown Speaker (18:11): This is no bullshit. This is real. And you tell me which is the fake, which the fake story. Now, don't go looking at my thing over here. Jimmy, he's cheating.

Unknown Speaker (18:20): Chris is not cheating, but also he's a larger man than you and I. Show respect.

Unknown Speaker (18:24): Show respect.

Unknown Speaker (18:25): Show respect.

Host (18:26): Here we go. First headline, this came off the wire, just this morning in the Uber over here Jimmy. Had my earphone in and it was Chipotle gives away free cilantro soap. You don't have to say yet. Okay.

Host (18:39): Restaurant creates tasting menu inspired by school cafeteria lunches. Restaurant creates a tasting menu inspired by school. Don't make a face, Jimmy. Love school cafeteria food. I do.

Unknown Speaker (18:51): It's his favorite. My palate's like a 12 year old.

Unknown Speaker (18:53): Yeah. You give him a

Unknown Speaker (18:54): Give me mac and cheese and and chicken fingers.

Host (18:56): Pizza. And some boba potatoes. I'm happy camping. TGI Friday sells potato skin lip balm. Alright.

Host (19:03): So which one is fake? Is it Chipotle gives away free cilantro soap? Is it restaurant creates tasting menu inspired by school cafeteria lunches or TGI Friday sells potato skin lip balm?

Chris (19:15): I'm I'm gonna say the school lunches.

Host (19:16): School lunches is fake. Jimmy, would you like to

Jimmy (19:20): say? I'm not gonna agree with Chris, You're not. But but typically when I love an idea, it's used it turns out to be the fake one. And I love the school lunch restaurant schools, but I'm gonna say that's real. I'm gonna challenge the TGIF, potato skin, flavored lip balm because

Host (19:35): everybody's doing crazy lip balm flavoring.

Jimmy (19:36): Right. I think TJF has been a little challenged and maybe that idea, maybe that's what caused the, the the the the the some of the problem. I'm going TJF was fake.

Unknown Speaker (19:45): I gotta be honest with you. We finally have a winner here. We finally and it's our guest. Yes. The restaurant creates tasting menu inspired.

Unknown Speaker (19:52): That is fake.

Unknown Speaker (19:52): You know what? I knew he did it right. I did. But I love that idea.

Unknown Speaker (19:55): Completely. I love that idea. You like the idea.

Unknown Speaker (19:57): I love the idea.

Host (19:58): So you think that a restaurant should have a taste. What would be on your tasting menu?

Jimmy (20:03): I think that they should rename the kids menu at restaurants, the school cafeteria menu.

Unknown Speaker (20:09): That would have

Unknown Speaker (20:09): been good

Unknown Speaker (20:09): for me. Grilled cheese,

Unknown Speaker (20:10): frozen pizzas, chicken fingers. The whole menu should just be a school the school cafeteria and the bowls

Unknown Speaker (20:16): and spaghetti.

Jimmy (20:17): The kids menu because by the way, I know a lot of adults that would order but they don't wanna order up the kids menu, call the section. By the way, I'm not kidding. I love this idea. They would then be comfortable ordering up the school cafeteria. Very excited.

Unknown Speaker (20:29): Then again, I'm the finance guy and they keep me out of the operations.

Unknown Speaker (20:32): I gotta make, when was the last time you checked out a school cafeteria lunch, Jimmy? Because I feel like it's changed a little bit.

Jimmy (20:38): It's, I think they're great.

Chris (20:39): I, I feel like the expectations are getting higher. I, I sure hope they are. Yes.

Unknown Speaker (20:42): Is it still really crappy food?

Jimmy (20:44): It has gotten much, much better, but let me tell you something. When my, I have a young daughter and when she Did

Unknown Speaker (20:50): just bring lunch

Jimmy (20:51): or No, no. Lunch is there and when she first got to have choices, the idea that there's choices, basically, every kid was eating a bagel for lunch, bagel and butter. That it was pasta with butter.

Unknown Speaker (21:00): Bagel and butter is delicious.

Unknown Speaker (21:02): Yes. So they

Unknown Speaker (21:03): I would go I remember getting the Kaiser roll with butter at the deli.

Unknown Speaker (21:07): Delicious.

Unknown Speaker (21:07): And that was it. They used to sell that New York City. Ask Jimmy Mead. I don't what it is to that, but it used to be like 99¢. You get a coffee and a butter roll.

Unknown Speaker (21:15): I was gonna say the butter roll is 50¢, coffee $50.

Unknown Speaker (21:17): It was like it was a dollar. 99¢. Wow. That was a I mean, right? Alright.

Unknown Speaker (21:21): I realize Chris is the winner. Yeah. Chris is doing it. Alright. Let's go to Hot or Not.

Host (21:25): Okay? Hot or Not. This is the greatest segment in all of podcasting. And, Chris, you are lucky, we are lucky to have you here with us. Jimmy will opine, I will say something and you just tell me if it's hot or not.

Unknown Speaker (21:35): Okay.

Host (21:36): Is mushroom coffee hot or not?

Unknown Speaker (21:39): Mushroom coffee? I'm gonna say not.

Host (21:44): Alright. Is boba tea hot or

Unknown Speaker (21:47): not? It's definitely hot.

Unknown Speaker (21:49): Boba tea is hot, okay. Is spam hot or not?

Unknown Speaker (21:53): It's having a moment, yeah.

Host (21:54): Protein everything, hot or not?

Unknown Speaker (21:57): It's hot, yes.

Unknown Speaker (21:58): Boba tea, hot or not?

Unknown Speaker (22:00): It's hot.

Unknown Speaker (22:01): Still hot.

Unknown Speaker (22:01): Still

Unknown Speaker (22:02): hot. Even from like five seconds ago I asked you and it's still hot. It's hotter than hot. Chili, that's how hot it is. Yes, yes.

Unknown Speaker (22:07): Chris, I'm gonna even put this on Chris. What? I was asked and answered. It's hot. It's hot.

Unknown Speaker (22:12): Really hot.

Host (22:13): Yeah. Alright. Ketchup on hot dogs. Hot or not?

Chris (22:16): Oh. It's not for me. So, Don't get don't

Unknown Speaker (22:20): upset Jimmy.

Unknown Speaker (22:21): I know.

Unknown Speaker (22:21): Don't upset Jimmy.

Unknown Speaker (22:23): Not hot.

Unknown Speaker (22:24): But it's it's classic. So

Unknown Speaker (22:25): It's classic.

Unknown Speaker (22:26): I'll say hot. Yeah. Alright. It's a hot dog.

Unknown Speaker (22:29): It is a hot dog. Boba tea. Hot or not? It's hot.

Unknown Speaker (22:32): Still hot, Jimmy.

Unknown Speaker (22:33): Still hot. Still hot.

Unknown Speaker (22:34): It's trending. Oh, really?

Unknown Speaker (22:35): It really is trending. Trend is your friend. Still Is dirty soda hot or not?

Unknown Speaker (22:40): Dirty soda's hot, yep.

Unknown Speaker (22:41): Do you guys have dirty sodas?

Chris (22:42): We don't have dirty sodas. But everything's dirty. We we have a dirty brown sugar milk tea. There you go. Yeah.

Unknown Speaker (22:47): So it's got milk foam.

Unknown Speaker (22:48): Is k pop collaborations hot or

Unknown Speaker (22:50): not? It's huge. It's hot.

Unknown Speaker (22:51): K pop.

Unknown Speaker (22:52): K pop.

Host (22:52): Is k pop like a huge gongchow? Like that's?

Chris (22:54): It is. So we've got a a partner, Felix, which, from Stray Kids, major celebrity who was at our convention last month when I was out there in And, someone afterwards jumped up on stage to grab the cup that he had been drinking from just Just to show to take? Just just to to get the straw, right?

Unknown Speaker (23:11): Can't pay a guy like that to come to the convention. What do you think?

Unknown Speaker (23:14): He loves our products.

Unknown Speaker (23:15): What's the going rate though? He's not going for free though. What did he get?

Unknown Speaker (23:20): He's a partner for us.

Unknown Speaker (23:21): It's like Kramer. All the gungs are you can have.

Unknown Speaker (23:24): Oh, take it. Hey, he's gotta get a few dollars.

Unknown Speaker (23:26): Like, do you think?

Unknown Speaker (23:27): Is it

Unknown Speaker (23:27): a $100? It's a 100? I

Unknown Speaker (23:30): don't know. I you know what? I think what Chris really wants you to know is how much they appreciate the partnership with Felix.

Unknown Speaker (23:36): We I mean, that's

Unknown Speaker (23:36): the message you want to say. I think they appreciate and value the partnership. We appreciate

Unknown Speaker (23:39): the partnership.

Unknown Speaker (23:39): But actually really don't care about that. What our listeners wanna know is what does he get paid?

Unknown Speaker (23:43): That's what

Unknown Speaker (23:43): you wanna know, Chatsy.

Unknown Speaker (23:45): You're you're listening to know that, you know, the partnership is continuing. So Okay. Nice. We did it last year, it's really you know, the k pop fans, they love Gong Chaos.

Unknown Speaker (23:52): Alright. I got two more to get to. Okay. Hot or not. Pickled flavor everything.

Unknown Speaker (23:56): Pickled flavor is is is hot. Yeah.

Unknown Speaker (23:58): You got pickled Gong, pickled Bubba?

Unknown Speaker (24:00): We we don't. It does exist. Should

Unknown Speaker (24:02): though, right?

Unknown Speaker (24:02): It does exist. Actually

Unknown Speaker (24:03): Julie should have that.

Unknown Speaker (24:04): I've tried some.

Unknown Speaker (24:04): Yep. They're gonna add pickle for Julie. She's a big lady. They have the, and then last one is, Bubba Tea, hot or not?

Unknown Speaker (24:10): Still hot. Jimmy?

Unknown Speaker (24:12): Yeah. What would you like to opine on?

Jimmy (24:14): I'm going to stick with the collaborations, but less about Felix and ask, are there other collabs, especially as you're growing in The US that you'd like to see maybe, engaging with? Like, is there a fantasy collab or anything that, anything in the pipe that you could share with us if they're collabs? I'm

Unknown Speaker (24:30): thinking us.

Chris (24:31): So so in in in the past, we did Final Fantasy, and we did see a a a great, collaboration Yes. Nice. So got he had a huge huge turnout, long lines at stores, right? Because

Unknown Speaker (24:41): everyone was up

Chris (24:42): for that? People came. People came in numbers, then they drove distances.

Unknown Speaker (24:46): Well, that's why mean, those people

Unknown Speaker (24:47): that made it.

Unknown Speaker (24:48): Final Fantasy, that's a big game.

Unknown Speaker (24:49): Yes.

Unknown Speaker (24:49): Jimmy, it's a video game.

Jimmy (24:50): Yeah. I I I assume that even though I've never I've never played it. One question. Sure. I would imagine as you're and as you're leading this franchising kind of campaign and growth in The US.

Jimmy (25:01): I need a toothpick. I would imagine that's a kind of a really nice there there like the chicken wars and the and on the pizza wars, there are certain categories that have a lot of, not just competition, but almost maybe saturation. You're playing as a leader in a space that is more open. I would imagine there's some great multi unit, multi brand franchisees that really have that's white space for you. Great operators who now want to add this kind of, this new vertical to the portfolio.

Jimmy (25:29): Is that, am I reading the room right? Is that something that

Chris (25:31): It's you see definitely attractive for the multi unit operators and it's definitely something that we are embracing. I think our simple operations that that were based on simple operations, ones that sell nice nicely to that. And, know, someone who has experience, in the in the QSR space.

Unknown Speaker (25:49): Love that. No. I see I see a lot of growth. Hey. To all you great franchisees out there.

Unknown Speaker (25:52): Yeah. We'll give you we'll give you Chris's number. Call me. Call us.

Host (25:55): Yeah. I love that. Alright. Listen. This is really unbelievable, but we have to keep this show going, Jimmy.

Unknown Speaker (26:00): You're holding us back. Sorry about that. And you're really dragging the whole thing down. I apologize for my

Unknown Speaker (26:05): apologize for my

Unknown Speaker (26:06): And now I know who's bringing the show who's slowing things

Unknown Speaker (26:08): down. Yes. My lack of professionalism Brandon

Host (26:10): Quickfire, here we go. Lightning round, okay? Chris, how long have been working over a Gong Cha?

Unknown Speaker (26:15): Been a Gong Cha for two years.

Unknown Speaker (26:16): Two years? Yes. What is your go to order? What what do you when you go into the store, what do you get? That's what we want to

Chris (26:22): know. I get the dirty brown sugar milk tea with pearls and The

Host (26:26): dirty brown sugar milkshake.

Unknown Speaker (26:29): With that? Milk tea.

Unknown Speaker (26:30): Milk tea. Yes. All right. So that is what you get and you can get anything you want.

Unknown Speaker (26:35): Yes.

Unknown Speaker (26:35): Now you get a discount there.

Chris (26:37): I pay full price because it's our franchise location, so.

Unknown Speaker (26:41): Full price, so the franchise, you walk in and it's a franchisee.

Unknown Speaker (26:45): I'm swiping my card. You are swiping your card. Or I'm ordering through

Unknown Speaker (26:47): the app. Oh, I got that. Oh, great. Thank you, Julie. What is your I mean, you travel a lot, I suspect, especially with this new gig.

Unknown Speaker (26:54): And to some exotic places. Yes. What's your favorite food city in the world?

Unknown Speaker (26:58): Food City. Oh, wow.

Unknown Speaker (27:00): Yep. Yep. Food City.

Chris (27:02): So I I really did enjoy I I was just there in Tokyo. I really did enjoy the sushi, the Wagyu beef. I mean, everything that I I got to enjoy there was amazing. Gong Cha has taken me to to Korea, had really good food there as well. Last year, our convention was in Dubai, and had amazing amazing food there.

Unknown Speaker (27:19): I don't

Unknown Speaker (27:19): think I asked you all the place you've traveled to. It was just one simple question. Jimmy. Jimmy, I asked one question. Favorite place.

Unknown Speaker (27:26): Give me nine countries he's visited. I don't want your itinerary where you throw

Jimmy (27:30): a reminder to be two hits. Him hitting you, you hitting the floor.

Unknown Speaker (27:33): Yes.

Unknown Speaker (27:35): Here it was. What's your Uber rating?

Chris (27:37): Oh, my Uber rating? It's high. I Imagine five stars.

Unknown Speaker (27:41): Don't just say it's high.

Unknown Speaker (27:42): What do

Unknown Speaker (27:42): mean I imagine you have five stars? I imagine I have five, but I don't. You got 4.7. I imagine. Do you have your phone on you?

Unknown Speaker (27:50): I do. Yeah.

Unknown Speaker (27:51): Let's You look, Jimmy.

Unknown Speaker (27:52): I'll I'll I'll show

Unknown Speaker (27:53): I'm a four eight seven.

Unknown Speaker (27:54): And you know what? Jimmy, you've throwing that around for like two years. I'm sure it's a sure it's changed a little bit. You gotta go into your profile.

Unknown Speaker (28:00): Let's go to the video. Let's go to the video tape.

Unknown Speaker (28:02): Yeah, hit that. Let's get, let's get what you got.

Unknown Speaker (28:05): Oh, 4.98.

Unknown Speaker (28:07): Holy Jimmy.

Unknown Speaker (28:08): Oh, yeah.

Unknown Speaker (28:09): I told you he's a big guy. How does, how do you take your

Unknown Speaker (28:11): bagel, Chris? What do you do? What what kind of bagel do you like, and how do you and what and what do you do? Stop looking at my thing

Unknown Speaker (28:16): over here. Got private stuff here.

Unknown Speaker (28:17): It's not like you have their answer written down. It's interesting. But you know what?

Unknown Speaker (28:20): I don't wanna leave don't I want it to be fresh. Alright. Go with it.

Chris (28:23): I I like my bagel toasted. What kind of bagel? I'll do an everything bagel.

Unknown Speaker (28:27): Everything bagel?

Chris (28:28): Yep, everything bagel toasted. What was the

Unknown Speaker (28:30): world doing before everything bagel, Jimmy?

Unknown Speaker (28:34): Didn't Poppy seeds.

Jimmy (28:35): Poppy, sesame, onion, garlic, salt, and then we put it all together, we've got everything.

Unknown Speaker (28:40): It's really crazy, it really is. Is a hotdog a sandwich, Chris?

Chris (28:44): Is a hotdog a sandwich? A hotdog is not a sandwich.

Unknown Speaker (28:48): Is boba tea a sandwich?

Unknown Speaker (28:49): Boba tea is not a sandwich.

Unknown Speaker (28:50): Canopy a sandwich? What's the last thing you Googled?

Chris (28:55): It's the last thing I Googled. Probably, it was the hours of the NRA convention to see what time I could get in.

Host (29:04): Okay. And they kept everybody downstairs waiting.

Unknown Speaker (29:06): They did, yeah.

Host (29:07): 09:45. I wish it was 09:00. Something must have happened. Okay, I'm coming, Joe. All right, all right, listen, Jimmy, let's take us home.

Unknown Speaker (29:14): Let's take us home, Jimmy. Getting yelled at here.

Jimmy (29:17): Hey, Chris, I want to thank you so much for joining us on the Hangout. We appreciate our friends at Workstream bringing us together. Love what you're doing. Love the, not just what you guys have accomplished, but really excited to see what you're gonna do in The US with Boba Tea with Gang Tech. So congrats on that.

Jimmy (29:31): If if our listeners wanna get in touch with your company directly at Gong Cha dot com

Unknown Speaker (29:37): Yes.

Unknown Speaker (29:37): Excellent. Yep. And if any of our listeners wanna get in touch with Chris, you can email the podcastteam@podcastatBrandon.NYC. Okay, Chris. Thank you so much.

Unknown Speaker (29:46): Thank you

Unknown Speaker (29:46): so Chad,

Unknown Speaker (29:46): anything you wanna say? I gotta tell you, you said it all, Jimmy. Cheers, everybody.

Unknown Speaker (29:50): Cheers, everyone. Cheers. Thank you.