Kung Fu Tea
Kung Fu Tea is America's largest bubble tea franchise, operating 350+ U.S. locations plus stores in Canada, Cambodia, Taiwan, and Japan. It sells bubble tea and specialty beverages made with Taiwan-sourced tea leaves to Gen-Z and millennial consumers, generating revenue through franchise fees, retail beverage sales, merchandise, and brand collaborations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2010
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Kung Fu Tea does
Kung Fu Tea (KF Tea Franchising LLC, founded 2010 in Flushing, Queens) operates America's largest bubble tea franchise network with over 350 U.S. locations and additional stores in Canada, Cambodia, Taiwan, and Japan. The company's core product is bubble tea and specialty beverages built on Taiwan-sourced tea leaves that are freshly brewed every three hours and verified through SGS testing protocols for lead and heavy metal compliance. The menu includes milk tea, green tea, seasonal specialties, and a wide customization surface (toppings, sweetness, ice levels), accessible through storefronts, the Kung Fu Tea mobile app, DoorDash delivery, and EZ Cater for events. The company is piloting a premium tier, Select by Kung Fu Tea, featuring rare varietals such as Da Hong Pao, Long Jing, and Camellia Oolong alongside specialty coffee.
The business operates on a franchise model, generating revenue from franchise fees and royalties, retail beverage sales across the network, branded merchandise (apparel, drinkware, accessories, plush toys), and licensing/brand collaborations with entertainment partners including Pokémon (Nintendo), Care Bears, Red Bull, and Opening Ceremony. The corporate footprint is small (51–100 employees) at the New York headquarters, consistent with a franchisor model where most operational headcount sits with franchisees. Technology stack includes WooCommerce-powered e-commerce, Stripe for payments, OpenAI-backed AI text features, and the Tattle AI guest feedback platform for location-level operational optimization. Distribution spans physical franchise storefronts, the proprietary mobile app, DoorDash and EZ Cater, Amazon marketplace, and TikTok Shop integrations. Brand recognition is supported by earned media in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Food Network, and Refinery29, with a 2025 Yelp ranking of #2 Most Loved Brand overall.
Kung Fu Tea firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Kung Fu Tea
- Legal name
- KF Tea Franchising LLC
- Website
- https://kungfutea.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2010
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Kung Fu Tea is America's largest bubble tea franchise, operating 350+ U.S. locations plus stores in Canada, Cambodia, Taiwan, and Japan. It sells bubble tea and specialty beverages made with Taiwan-sourced tea leaves to Gen-Z and millennial consumers, generating revenue through franchise fees, retail beverage sales, merchandise, and brand collaborations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Kung Fu Tea industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Bubble Tea Retail / Specialty Beverage Chain
- NAICS
- Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920), Soft Drink Manufacturing (312111)
- SIC
- Beverages (2080), Bottled & Canned Soft Drinks & Carbonated Waters (2086)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Bubble Tea (Boba) Shops (THAFAKAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Tea Blending & Flavoring (AFAFADAG), Tea Rooms & Tea Cafes (THAFADAF), Specialty Coffee & Tea Retail (Beans, Leaves, Accessories) (CRAHAGAI)
Keywords
Where Kung Fu Tea is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Kung Fu Tea business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Retail Beverage Sales: Core revenue from brick-and-mortar retail bubble tea sales across franchise locations in the US and internationally. Customers purchase beverages with various toppings and customizations at storefront locations.
- Merchandise Sales: Sale of branded merchandise including apparel (hats, t-shirts, totes), accessories (phone cases, stickers), mugs, plush toys, snack bundles, and collaborations. E-commerce sales through kungfutea.com with free shipping over $25.
- Franchise Fees and Royalties: Franchise-based expansion model where franchisees pay fees and ongoing royalties to operate Kung Fu Tea locations. The brand operates over 350 U.S. locations with domestic and international franchise opportunities.
- Brand Collaborations and Licensing: Limited-edition product collaborations with brands like Opening Ceremony, Pokémon, Care Bears, and Red Bull generate revenue through exclusive merchandise and promotional products.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Accessories ($5-$30) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Apparel and Totes ($15-$60) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Mugs ($20-$24.99) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Bundles and Kits ($19.99-$37.95) |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Shipping Threshold |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels6 records
Kung Fu Tea product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Kung Fu Tea operates a franchise-based bubble tea retail chain selling freshly brewed specialty beverages (milk teas, green teas, fruit teas) with customizable toppings, using real tea leaves sourced from Taiwan and brewed every three hours. The brand also sells branded merchandise, digital gift cards, and offers a mobile app with loyalty rewards, a premium tea concept (Select by Kung Fu Tea), and catering services.
Product overview
Kung Fu Tea is America's largest bubble tea brand operating over 350 U.S. locations. The company offers a core bubble tea and specialty beverage menu (sourced from Taiwan, freshly brewed every 3 hours) through physical stores, a mobile app (for ordering, loyalty rewards, and digital gift cards), and catering services. The portfolio includes Select by Kung Fu Tea as a premium elevated tea sub-brand, merchandise (apparel, drinkware, accessories), wellness beverages (HYDRATION+ Immunity with ADVANCED), and technology partnerships (Tattle for AI-powered guest feedback). Recent brand collaborations include Red Bull, Care Bears, and Pokémon.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Select by Kung Fu Tea: An elevated tea concept featuring rare, carefully sourced teas including Da Hong Pao, Long Jing, and Camellia Oolong, alongside a specialty coffee program. This concept draws from Kung Fu Tea's 16-year history and represents a premium positioning for the brand.
Products and services
- Kung Fu Tea Core Beverage Menu Core bubble tea (boba) and specialty beverage menu including milk teas, green teas, fruit teas, and seasonal specialties. Tea is sourced from Taiwan, brewed fresh every three hours, and customizable with a wide range of toppings. Sold to individual consumers at 350+ U.S. franchise locations.
- Select by Kung Fu Tea Premium elevated tea concept featuring rare, carefully sourced teas including Da Hong Pao from Wuyi, Long Jing green tea, and Camellia Oolong, alongside a specialty coffee program. Represents a premium retail tier above the standard Kung Fu Tea menu for discerning tea enthusiasts.
- Kung Fu Tea Mobile App Mobile application for iOS and Android that enables mobile ordering (pickup and delivery), manages the loyalty rewards program, supports digital drink gift card purchases, and provides location-based features for finding nearby Kung Fu Tea stores.
- Digital Drink Gift Card Digital gift card product allowing customers to purchase and send gift cards redeemable at Kung Fu Tea locations for beverages and merchandise.
- Kung Fu Tea Merchandise Branded merchandise including apparel (t-shirts, hats, totes), drinkware (mugs), accessories (phone cases, stickers), plush toys, snack bundles, and collaborative items with brands like Opening Ceremony and AZN FLUSH. Sold via the brand's own e-commerce site with free shipping on orders over $25 and through Amazon Marketplace.
- HYDRATION+ Immunity Wellness beverage line developed in partnership with ADVANCED, featuring three tea flavors enhanced with immune support ingredients. Available in the US through select online and retail channels.
- Catering Services Catering service for events and gatherings, powered through the EZ Cater partnership platform, enabling corporate customers and event organizers to order Kung Fu Tea beverages in bulk.
Quantifiable outcome
- Ranked 3rd for Speed of Service on Yelp's Most Loved Brands list for 2025, and #2 Most Loved Brand overall
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Kung Fu Tea
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Kung Fu Tea technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration12 records
AI capability2 records
Feature4 records
Kung Fu Tea partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.
- Red BullflagshipSummer 2026 partnership launching themed drinks inspired by Mexico, Canada, and USA timed to a major international soccer tournament. Collaboration includes exclusive limited-edition beverages, themed packaging, collectible patches, sweepstakes, and in-store watch parties. Running from June 1 to July 24, 2026.
- Care BearscoreLimited-edition collaboration featuring four new themed drinks and exclusive merchandise including social media sweepstakes and limited-edition blind boxes. Active from March 26 to April 30, 2026.
- ADVANCEDcoreLaunch of HYDRATION+ Immunity, a wellness beverage line featuring three tea flavors enhanced with immune support ingredients. Available in the US through select online and retail channels with nationwide sampling events at participating locations.
- TattlecoreAI-driven guest feedback and CX management platform partnership. Kung Fu Tea operators gain access to AI algorithms generating location-specific action items, real-time guest recovery tools, reputation management across review platforms, and item-level feedback for menu optimization.
- PokémonflagshipPartnership with Nintendo of America promoting Pokémon Legends: Z-A release with three themed drinks at Kung Fu Tea locations nationwide from December 1, 2025 to January 31, 2026, along with social media sweepstakes.
- Yasubee RamenminorYasubee Ramen opened its first U.S. location following a test kitchen pop-up with Kung Fu Tea in Flushing, Queens last year. The opening represents Yasubee's first overseas expansion.
- Consumer ReportsminorKung Fu Tea tapioca pearls were tested for heavy metals by Consumer Reports. None exceeded levels of concern for lead, though three of four products contained over 50% of the threshold in a single serving. The brand's SGS testing commitment was highlighted as a quality differentiator.
- Opening CeremonycoreFashion collaboration celebrating National Bubble Tea Day featuring exclusive capsule collection with graphics inspired by classic Taiwanese beverage. Products include t-shirts ($60) and totes ($15-$30) featuring Chinese characters for 'FEARLESS' (無畏).
- AZN FLUSHminorWorld's first boba-themed card game collaboration featuring 'Spill The Tea Boba Pack' containing 80 cards. Ages 18+ product sold for $19.99.
- ZuruminorToys collaboration featuring Zuru Snackles Cow and Capybara squishy accessories sold for $19.99 each through Kung Fu Tea website and Amazon.
- DoorDashcoreThird-party delivery partnership enabling customers to order Kung Fu Tea beverages through the DoorDash platform. Customer terms incorporated into Kung Fu Tea's terms and conditions.
- StripecorePayment processor handling card transactions. Kung Fu Tea does not store full card numbers on its servers - Stripe receives and processes payment information directly.
- SGScoreInternational testing, inspection, and certification company used for rigorous, regular quality testing of all products and ingredients to confirm they meet strictest quality standards and are lead and heavy metal free.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Kung Fu Tea competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- The Alley: The Alley is a premium-positioned bubble tea brand known for its signature brown sugar drinks and upscale store design. It overlaps with Kung Fu Tea's core menu and with the Select by Kung Fu Tea elevated concept, particularly around premium tea and curated experience positioning.
- Lollicup Fresh: Lollicup Fresh is the US retail bubble tea brand spun out of Lollicup (a boba supply distributor), combining storefront operations with the parent company's ingredient supply chain. It directly competes with Kung Fu Tea on beverage menu and benefits from vertical integration into tapioca and supply.
- Quickly: Quickly is a US-based bubble tea franchise that has historically operated hundreds of locations, competing on similar price points and product customization. It represents one of Kung Fu Tea's closest domestic franchise competitors for strip-mall and urban storefronts.
- CoCo Bubble Tea: CoCo is a major international bubble tea chain with hundreds of US locations, selling milk teas, fruit teas, and signature drinks through a franchise model. It directly competes with Kung Fu Tea on store count, beverage customization, and price point in the same strip-mall and urban trade areas.
- Gong Cha: Gong Cha is one of the largest global bubble tea chains with a substantial US franchise footprint, offering milk teas, specialty drinks, and customizable toppings in a directly comparable store format to Kung Fu Tea. Both brands compete head-to-head for franchisees, mall locations, and the same Gen-Z bubble tea consumer.
- Tiger Sugar: Tiger Sugar is a bubble tea chain famous for brown sugar boba and visual presentation, with US storefronts in major cities. It targets the same Gen-Z and millennial demographic and competes on premium, Instagram-worthy drinks rather than price, overlapping directly with Kung Fu Tea's brand positioning.
- Chatime: Chatime is a Taiwanese-origin global bubble tea franchise with significant US presence, operating in the same beverage category with similar menu customization. It competes directly for franchisees and end consumers and shares Kung Fu Tea's franchise-led, Asia-anchored identity.
- Happy Lemon: Happy Lemon is an Asia-origin bubble tea chain with US franchise locations selling milk teas and specialty drinks. It targets the same demographic, competes on similar menu breadth, and uses a comparable franchise expansion model.
- Share Tea: Share Tea is a Taiwanese-origin bubble tea chain with US locations selling milk teas and specialty drinks through franchise. It operates the same retail beverage model, sources tea similarly, and competes for the same customers in overlapping US markets.
Broad incumbents
- Starbucks: Starbucks is the established US tea and specialty beverage incumbent that The Washington Post explicitly compared Kung Fu Tea to as the 'Starbucks of bubble tea.' It is not a direct bubble tea competitor but anchors the premium custom-beverage category and sets consumer expectations on technology, app ordering, and loyalty that Kung Fu Tea also pursues.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Kung Fu Tea social profiles
Digital presenceKung Fu Tea financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Kung Fu Tea leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Kung Fu Tea funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Kung Fu Tea M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Kung Fu Tea
What does Kung Fu Tea do?
Kung Fu Tea operates a franchise-based bubble tea retail chain selling freshly brewed specialty beverages (milk teas, green teas, fruit teas) with customizable toppings, using real tea leaves sourced from Taiwan and brewed every three hours. The brand also sells branded merchandise, digital gift cards, and offers a mobile app with loyalty rewards, a premium tea concept (Select by Kung Fu Tea), and catering services.
Is Kung Fu Tea a public or private company?
Kung Fu Tea is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Kung Fu Tea founded?
Kung Fu Tea was founded in 2010. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Kung Fu Tea based?
Kung Fu Tea is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Kung Fu Tea make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Retail Beverage Sales are the primary driver. The others are merchandise Sales, franchise Fees and Royalties and brand Collaborations and Licensing.
Who are Kung Fu Tea's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are The Alley, Lollicup Fresh, Quickly, CoCo Bubble Tea, Gong Cha, Tiger Sugar, Chatime, Happy Lemon and Share Tea. Starbucks is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Kung Fu Tea have an API?
No public API is recorded for Kung Fu Tea.
What industry is Kung Fu Tea in?
Kung Fu Tea's product category is Bubble Tea Retail / Specialty Beverage Chain. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFAKAC, Bubble Tea (Boba) Shops, with a secondary code of AFAFADAG, Tea Blending & Flavoring. Its NAICS code is 311920 and its SIC code is 2080.