With the wide array of milk tea stores opening all over the world, it’s safe to say that people just can’t seem to get enough of the tapioca-infused milk drink. It’s especially popular among Asian countries. According to Grabfood’s 2019 findings, the app has received a surprising amount of “bubble tea orders” garnering a “regional average growth rate of 3,000% in the year of 2018.”
However, with the worldwide spread of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), a lot of stores–including those that sell milk tea–have chosen to close up shop to protect its employees and customers from potential contagion. This is particularly evident in countries like China and South Korea that have a high rate of citizens infected by the virus.
But last February 23, a bubble tea shop in Changsha, China, opened its doors to customers and attracted a 100-meter long line of customers in spite of the COVID-19 scare.
China News reports that the customers waited almost 2 hours to receive their orders because of the volume. Moreover, the shop reportedly asked each person to line up 1.5 meters away from one another to avoid contact with the others lining up.
Here’s a video from the news outlet’s coverage:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=40EoTM_MTlo&feature=youtu.be
If there’s one thing we can take from this story, it’s that you can never really separate Asians from their love of boba tea.
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