Chicago-based bubble tea franchise TE’AMO Boba Bar will replace Latin fusion restaurant Mas Salud on Clark Street.
TE’AMO has more than a dozen locations in Illinois as well as shops in four other states.
Mas Salud occupied 720 Clark St. from April 2023 until closing in late 2024 without public notice. The storefront currently displays a franchise opportunity for TE’AMO, a logo for coffee chain Cotti Coffee and an image of dumplings.
The space is located two stores down from another boba franchise, Kung Fu Tea.
In fact, many boba stores in downtown Evanston are nationwide chains, such as Happy Lemon, Ume Tea and Möge Tee. Some restaurants like Joy Yee Noodle and Shang Noodle & Chinese also include bubble tea on their menus.
“There’s actually a shockingly large amount of shops for how small this town is,” Weinberg freshman Sailor Akohonae said as she sipped a drink from Kung Fu Tea.
Davy Khim has worked part-time at Happy Lemon for about two years and said when she first arrived, the store was busy nearly every day.
But she noticed business began to stall in the winter of her second year as an employee.
“To be honest, it has been pretty slow,” Khim said. “We haven’t been expecting (many) people to come in.”
Khim said Happy Lemon distinguishes itself from competing local boba shops with bubble waffles, which is what most customers like to order.
As for TE’AMO, packaging sets it apart. Instead of the standard cup that narrows at the bottom, drinks come in plastic bottles, complete with gold-colored lids resembling soda cans.
Besides caffeinated drinks such as flavored milk teas and matcha lattes, the menu includes colorful sparkling lemonades and smoothies. Some locations also sell mochi donuts, coconut jelly, mille crepe cakes and bao buns with cheesecake filling.
Boba shops often sell food items in addition to beverages. TEAlicious Bubble even offers bento boxes.
But, unlike most other Evanston boba stores, TEAlicious Bubble is locally owned. Co-owner and manager Jun Zhong said this aspect sets the business apart more than any individual product.
“I believe local people still like to support us because of a local business,” Zhong said. “But I think for the students, they will try different variety, different brand name.”
Akohonae said she has tried several bubble tea brands. For her, selecting a store comes down to its proximity to campus and drink prices. She usually opts for Kung Fu Tea, less than a five-minute walk from the edge of the sorority quad.
Weinberg junior Gabriela Holguin lives off campus, but like Akohonae, she said she also considers cost. She frequents Joy Yee Noodle for its large portion sizes.
She said she has also noticed boba shops’ turnover rates.
“They come and go,” Holguin said. “There was another one that was pretty popular last year. Now I pass by, and it’s not even in (a) store anymore.”
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