Introduction:After the rapid expansion of HEYTEA’s franchised stores, many consumers have noticed significant quality discrepancies in the same beverages across different outlets, sparking discussions about consistency in quality control. This article breaks down the differences between franchised and company-owned stores through real-life examples and provides practical tips for identifying store types, helping you avoid inconsistent-quality outlets and enjoy beverages that meet your expectations.
Recently, social media platforms have been flooded with consumer posts sharing vastly different experiences when purchasing the same drinks from HEYTEA’s franchised and company-owned stores. Take the popular “Thousand-Leaf Matcha Triple Thick” as an example: one customer who ordered delivery from a company-owned store (with a delivery time of over 20 minutes) still received a drink that was warm, with rich tea color and generous portions of toppings (such as mochi and tea jelly). In contrast, another customer who picked up the same drink from a franchised store (waiting less than three minutes) found the beverage lighter in color, weaker in taste, and even hard to distinguish the toppings.
An even more extreme case involved another franchised store, where a customer observed the staff making and bagging the drink on-site (the entire process took no more than 10 minutes). Yet the drink’s volume had shrunk by a third, the mochi texture was noticeably poor, leaving only the tea jelly and an overpowering tea flavor, overall performing far worse than the company-owned store version. The customer publicly shared comparison photos showing clear differences in appearance, thickness, and topping presentation between the same drink made at company-owned versus franchised stores, thus questioning the brand’s quality control standards for its franchises.
This post quickly resonated with the public, with netizens sharing their own experiences: some ordered cheese tea but didn’t get the expected cheese foam on top, others received vegetable bottled drinks that had oxidized, changed color, and lost flavor, while some pointed out that the water buffalo milk jelly in the “Buffalo Milk Double” had turned into crispy pearls, or that the mango in the “Fruity Mango Delight” had become increasingly sour over the years. Many veteran customers admitted they’ve grown used to the inconsistency at franchised stores and would rather pay higher delivery fees to opt for company-owned stores than risk trying free-delivery franchises.
In response, identification guides have emerged, suggesting that users can check the business license name and type via the HEYTEA mini-program to preliminarily determine store type: if the store name is prefixed with terms such as “Inspiration Tea,” “HEYTEA Created from Tea,” “HEYTEA Network,” or “Mei Xing Technology,” it usually belongs to the company-owned system; those with a business license type labeled “Limited Liability Company Branch” are company-owned stores, while “Individual Business” is typically a franchise. Additionally, some company-owned stores offer HEYTEA’s own coffee and ice cream products, which are not found in franchised outlets. It should be noted that this identification method is compiled from netizen experiences, and for official confirmation, it’s best to refer to official information.
Below this guide, netizens began uploading business licenses for verification, with rational observers noting: “Consumers actually have to check business licenses themselves to confirm product reliability, highlighting that the brand still needs to strengthen quality control management in its franchise system.”
Looking back at its development trajectory, HEYTEA began opening franchised stores in November 2022, when its total number of stores in Taiwan was fewer than 900. By the end of 2023, the total number of outlets exceeded 3,200, with partnership stores accounting for over 2,300. In July 2024, it further announced that the total number of stores had surpassed the 4,000 mark. With the rapid expansion of franchising and the previous price reduction strategy, some consumers feel that the flavor of HEYTEA drinks is no longer as distinct as in the early days, making quality consistency a focal point of market attention.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
