Anchal Lamba owns 111 Gong Cha bubble tea shops and holds the exclusive rights to open stores in nine U.S. states.

Franchisees play a vital role in the restaurant industry by helping brands expand quickly and efficiently. They bring the ideas and creations of founders and chefs to different parts of the world, using their own capital to do so. Franchisees come in all shapes and sizes, from mom-and-pop owners to seasoned veterans who have made a significant impact in the industry.

Anchal Lamba is this week’s Franchisee Spotlight feature. She is a first-generation Indian-American entrepreneur and the largest U.S. franchisee of Gong Cha, a Taiwanese bubble tea brand. Lamba has built an empire of over 100 bubble tea shops in eight years, and at age 32, she now has exclusive rights to open Gong Cha stores in nine states, including New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Oklahoma, and Texas.

Lamba owns and operates a network of 111 stores and sub-franchisees in these nine states, making her a significant player in the bubble tea market in the United States.

Background

Anchal Lamba did not have any prior experience in the food or franchising industries before starting as a master franchisee for Gong Cha in 2014. Lamba was working in fashion sales in New York but her love for bubble tea and her father’s recommendation of Gong Cha in Hong Kong inspired her to venture into franchising. She quit her job, traveled to Taiwan, trained with the franchisor for two weeks, and then opened her first store in Flushing, New York.

Why bubble tea

When she traveled to Taiwan, she learned various aspects of the bubble tea business, including operating the register, kitchen processes, making tapioca pearls, and brewing tea. She found that the bubble tea operation is easier than other fast-casual restaurants since it is primarily beverage-based. Moreover, the startup cost to build a bubble tea operation is relatively lower than that of a fast-food restaurant as it does not require as much equipment to make drinks. Additionally, the brand has standard operating procedures for making each drink, which makes the process more streamlined.

Opening her first store

Anchal Lamba shared, “It was my first time operating a foodservice business and operating a business on my own, so there were a lot of ups and downs. I was learning how to get through the hurdles of scheduling shifts and closing the register and finding a suitable manager when I couldn’t be there every day. For the first six months that we opened, I was there every single day, seven days a week from open to close, but it was a real struggle just to manage the day to day, and operations and give the best customer service with the best product. […] As long as you understand the menu, you’ll be able to create the drinks.”

Rapid growth

“I had an agreement with Gong Cha and the plan was to open a few stores by myself in the territory that I had. That’s where we’ve grown with the business to 111 locations to date. Eight of those are stores that I own and the rest are franchisees of mine, so I’ve really been able to grow the franchise model. A lot of my franchisees also operate multiple locations and liked the brand so much they opened a second, third or fourth location, so that’s how we’ve been able to grow so quickly over the past eight years.”

Goals moving forward

“We have 111 locations today and by the end of this year, I hope to have about 160 operating locations, and then we’ll hit the 200-store mark in 2024.”

Advice for other franchisees

“Find something that you really have a passion for, because it’s going to be your entire life. I’m working all the time, on the weekends, etc. It’s about finding the right franchise that works for you and willing to be totally invested in it.”