Drive-Thru Bubble Tea??

Would drive-thru bubble tea be a hit in Toronto?

I recently went to Green Grotto Tea Room at Warden and Steeles to check out their new(ish) location.  They moved to the old Wendy's spot in the same plaza almost a year ago.  And since Wendy's had drive-thru, they kept the window and now have the option to offer drive-thru bubble tea!

I personally think the idea would fly but maybe because I've had moments where I didn't want to park, take the baby out, then line up for a bubble tea.  My personal reasons aside, given the number of people that line-up for bubble tea, I still think it can be a viable option.

In Taipei where you can walk just a bit and hit one or scooter up to a shop, they don't have drive-thrus.  In Toronto, unless you are in specific parts of the city, you're not often walking.  North of the city or Scarborough is where many of those that frequent bubble tea shops reside or hangout.  So, driving is common.

So, again...would drive-thru bubble tea be a hit?  

It definitely got me thinking.  For Green Grotto, I can see it increasing their sales because of higher turnover and sometimes people want something quick.  They would be offering something that no other tea shop can in the GTA.  So, the first of it's kind.  Come to think of it, I think they were also the first Taiwanese bubble tea place in Toronto (since 1993, that's over 20 years!!)

For the consumer there is potential for faster service, you don't have to find parking, and in the winter we don't have to step out of the car.

But, demand is questionable and hiring extra staff is a must.  If the drive-thru is slow because of the variety of offerings or the amount of time it takes to make a drink, this could potentially be irritating to customers.  The other thing is loss of ambience.  Going to a tea room is an experience so would drive-thru be beneficial for the brand image?  Some might argue that if you're already getting take-out, there isn't a difference.  You're just ordering it slightly different.

In some ways, maybe not a full drive-thru is possible right now given the number of unknowns..., so maybe they should do a trial.  (I'd LOVE to see a trial.)

• Drive thru available FRI/SAT/SUN when it's the busiest.
• Condensed drive-thru menu may be needed?  In Taiwan, bubble teas are fast because a lot of what is offered is really simple drinks.  There are usually more varietals of brewed and it just needs to be sweetened and iced.

Well, those are my thoughts anyway.  Let me know what you think!

I asked staff about the drive through and they said potentially next year but no guarantees.  Aside from the drive-thru, I went inside Green Grottos newish (well new for me since it's been 9 months since the last time I visited) digs and it looks great.  Like a college cafe now matured.  Although I loved the atmosphere of their previous place, the new space is a little more modern and grown up but still with a relaxing feel.  Love the tree and bird cages!

Lots more seating and natural light

Several bird cages ^-^

The magazines!  (There's more shelving to the right)

Front area

 New items, drinks and food have been added to the menu.  And their awesome collection of magazines remains!  I'm definitely coming back to try some new items.  Staff are also very friendly and accommodating.

Back patio

November: I'm Dreaming of...

Beef noodle soup from the famous Yong Kang Beef Noodle Restaurant in Taipei

I can't believe it's already November.  It's certainly gotten a lot chillier!  With Thanksgiving and Halloween now over, I always feel like now it's time to plan for Christmas, and plans I definitely have, but...maybe a little break before the craziness of gatherings/baking/shopping begins!

November...I'm dreaming of...

- Hot chocolate, rich and creamy like ones made in Paris...as described here and by David Lebovitz in his book The Sweet Life in Paris.
- Yummy bowls of ramen
- Spicy beef noodle soup...my go to place in Toronto, Beef Noodle Restaurant but the Taiwanese restaurant Mama Bear has been on my radar, the only problem is they're always packed!
- Soupy Xiao Long Baos that are so delicately made (check out Northern Dumpling Kitchen)
- Scarves...scarves...scarves
- And of course...pots of tea!  Hmmmm, maybe many little cups of Alishan Oolong Tea, or a nice roasted tea, or a deep caramel-ly hong shui.

Iced Tea Candy

I found this new tea flavoured candy at T & T Supermarket.  I'm generally not a fan of hard candies, but when it's tea flavoured I'm more interested. So, I gave it a go.

Quick run-down:

• Brand: Bali's Best (also makes coffee candy which I've seen before)
• Hard candy
• Made with tea extracts
• Indonesian tea, from the Java region

The one I purchased was Classic Iced Tea but the other flavours were Green Tea Latte and Citrus Green Tea.  Whole green tea leaves are apparently used to make the green tea candies which was interesting to note and I was tempted to get the green tea latte as that would be the drink I'd choose, but classic iced tea in a candy was a little different.  Indonesian black tea is supposed to be similar to Assam or Ceylon tea rather than Chinese black tea (although I don't think I've had loose leaf Indonesian tea yet), so I expected it to be like the iced tea we know in North America. 

Taste:  Good tea flavour and tastes slightly lemon-y.  More Ceylon tea flavour then citrus.  Some black teas can naturally have more citrus notes to it and it's possible that the tea used has this flavour profile (but I wonder if it can be detected in extracts).  I remember doing a tea tasting using various estate teas and they produced different iced tea flavours without the addition of lemon (i.e. Court Lodge FBOP had citrus notes compared to Kenmare FBOP...and yes, I had to look at my past notes for the names).

Sweetness level is good, not too sweet where you only taste sugar.

But, if you're looking for a strong tea taste, especially if you're used to drinking your tea strong, you won't find the candy as good.

Ingredients: glucose syrup (tapioca), cane sugar, tea extract, natural tea flavor, salt.
I inquired about the tea leaves and it is primarily made from black tea leaves.  They also note on their packaging that they are "all natural".

Price at T&T was $2.99 for 42 pieces.

Overall: This is a pretty good tasting tea candy.  Yes, I'd purchase again and I'd definitely try the other flavours!