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Starting Your Own Bubble Tea Brand Part 2 | An 8–15 Ping Shop: Opening Costs and Equipment Planning

An 8–15 ping standard shop gives two people room to work at the same time, supports more complete preparation and refrigeration, and can make busy-period service more consistent. Before adding space and equipment, check whether the extra spending creates capacity you actually need.

Part 1 focused on controlling the investment in a small takeaway shop, with the owner managing the products. A standard shop needs a more deliberate approach to dividing work, managing stock, and handling concentrated orders without relying on one person for everything.

This article uses an NT$1.4 million opening budget and a two-person workflow as planning examples. A ping is approximately 3.3 square metres. All amounts are in New Taiwan dollars (NT$); space, prices, and production rates must be checked against your premises, menu, and practical trials.

Who needs a standard shop? Look at orders before expanding

A more complete work area and clearer staffing can help when a small shop regularly develops queues, replenishment interrupts preparation, or group orders disrupt service for walk-in customers.

If normal demand is still low, more space initially means higher rent and preparation costs. A larger shop does not automatically bring more customers. Sales also depend on location, products, repeat business, and promotion.

Start with three questions: how many cups are needed during the rush, how many people must work simultaneously, and where the current equipment falls behind. Those answers are more useful than simply looking for a bigger floor area.

Additional capacity needs corresponding demand

A two-person line that can produce 60 cups an hour will not necessarily sell 60 cups multiplied by every opening hour. The work area determines what you can handle; the customer base determines what people buy.

Keep working cash and basic promotion in the budget. Investing everything in renovation and equipment to increase theoretical output can leave too little cash to build a customer base.

An NT$1.4 million example includes an operating buffer

Item	Budget in NT$	Main purpose
Deposit and initial rent	140,000	Lease and payments before opening
Renovation and signage	280,000	Frontage, work area, and basic identity
Electrical, water, and drainage work	100,000	Equipment connections and two-person operation
Equipment and utensils	350,000	Ice, refrigeration, tea, and drink preparation
Initial ingredients and packaging	90,000	Trials, opening, and early stock
Opening preparation and promotion	30,000	Menu, photography, and basic promotion
Contingency	60,000	Additional work or equipment expenses
Working cash	350,000	A buffer after opening
Total	1,400,000	Setup and working cash together

The equipment allowance is NT$350,000, but the working-cash allowance is also NT$350,000. A larger operation must pay rent and staff every month, even before sales become stable.

If existing premises require less work, keep the saving as operating flexibility. If construction quotations increase, review the total funding plan rather than automatically using the money reserved for operations.

Estimate the monthly cash need first

Suppose monthly shop cash expenses total NT$98,000: NT$35,000 rent, NT$35,000 for the main employee, NT$5,000 in related employment costs, NT$8,000 busy-period help, NT$10,000 utilities, and NT$5,000 systems and miscellaneous payments. These are planning assumptions; actual staffing expenses depend on the roster and applicable costs.

Add an initial NT$18,000 owner living withdrawal and the monthly cash plan becomes NT$116,000. An NT$350,000 reserve is roughly three months of these items. Ingredients, packaging, and unexpected payments still need provision.

A living withdrawal does not mean a full month of the owner's work is worth only NT$18,000. Later operating comparisons allow NT$35,000 a month for the owner's work so that owner labour is not treated as free.

How can two people work effectively in 8–15 ping?

For a 10-ping example, start with 2 ping for ordering and pickup, 4 ping for preparation, 3 ping for washing and refrigerated preparation, and 1 ping for dry stock. Adjust the allocation to the shape of the unit.

The key is giving both people usable positions for taking ingredients, making drinks, and sealing without repeatedly stepping around each other. Replenishing cups, retrieving stock, and washing should avoid cutting through the active preparation line.

The customer-facing area should also distinguish queues, delivery pickup, and group orders. A little room for organised handover can reduce repeated order checking.

Extra space needs an operational purpose

Space that accommodates necessary refrigeration, preparation, or simultaneous work can improve capacity. Space filled with rarely used equipment raises rent without necessarily improving output.

Before signing, draw the equipment dimensions and staff positions, then walk through ingredient retrieval, sealing, replenishment, and washing. This is a more useful test of the space than a photograph of a finished interior.

Plan the NT$350,000 equipment budget around continuous service

Equipment group	Budget in NT$	Planning priority
Ice and refrigeration	180,000	Peak supply, prepared ingredients, and replenishment
Tea preparation and water treatment	60,000	Tea batches, timing, and consistent flavour
Sealing, work surfaces, and washing	65,000	Simultaneous work with less waiting
Checkout, dosing, and blending	45,000	Order records, portion control, and operation
Total	350,000	Adjust to the menu, machines, and quotations

First ask whether equipment reliably supports the menu. A fast sealer cannot prevent delays when tea, toppings, or preparation cannot keep up.

Check refrigeration against the containers you actually use, rather than total capacity alone. Containers that do not fit, are difficult to reach, or require moving other ingredients add time during service.

If funds are limited, resolve the recurring bottleneck first. Replacing an adequate machine with a more sophisticated model may help less than fixing insufficient ice, tea, or working positions.

What hourly output can two people create?

Suppose Worker A handles ordering, toppings, sealing, and handover, while Worker B handles tea, dosing, and mixing. If each station averages 60 seconds per cup and they hand work over continuously, theoretical output is around 60 cups an hour.

This assumes a stable division of work and prepared ingredients. The sales mix, custom requests, replenishment, and breaks affect the result. Test the actual menu rather than presenting 60 cups an hour as a promise.

Working condition	Theoretical output	Meaning
One person does everything in 120 seconds per cup	About 30 cups/hour	Checkout interrupts preparation
Two stations each take 60 seconds per cup	About 60 cups/hour	People work on different steps simultaneously
One station takes 90 seconds per cup	About 40 cups/hour	The slower station limits the line

The third condition is common: one person mixes quickly while the other handles multiple toppings, sealing, and delivery checks. Adding people still requires a suitable division of work to turn staffing into capacity.

A 250-cup day needs both supplies and peak capacity

At 250 cups a day, with an average 180 grams of ice and 200 millilitres of tea per cup, daily use is approximately 45 kilograms of ice and 50 litres of tea. A 25% ice buffer brings the planning quantity to about 57 kilograms.

Use these estimates to plan ice production and storage, tea batches, and refrigeration. A machine's theoretical rating does not mean supplies are always available under the actual conditions in your shop.

Also check short bursts of demand. If 20 orders arrive in 15 minutes, a 60-cup-per-hour line can finish around 15 cups in that interval, leaving five waiting. Continued arrivals can extend the queue.

Record the busiest 15 minutes as well as daily volume. Prepare group orders in advance and stagger pickup when possible. Walk-in service still needs time for replenishment and unusual orders.

Higher-priced products need quality and manageable preparation

Signature drinks can increase order value, but consider their ingredients and preparation time together. Suppose a basic tea sells for NT$50 with NT$16 of direct per-cup expenses, leaving NT$34. A signature drink sells for NT$80 with NT$32 of direct expenses, leaving NT$48.

The price rises by NT$30, while the amount available for monthly shop expenses rises by NT$14. If the signature drink requires fresh cutting, blending, or additional washing, arrange appropriate preparation and working positions for the rush.

A few recognisable, consistent signature drinks with shared ingredients and workflows can be a more manageable approach. Quality, price, and capacity need consideration together for a sustainable menu.

Compare ingredients by cost per cup too. An ingredient costing NT$80 per kilogram and used at 50 grams per cup costs NT$4 per cup. One costing NT$100 per kilogram and used at 35 grams costs NT$3.50. Taste and quality still need to be comparable; saving money should not undermine the product.

Stock, training, and records make busy service manageable

Match inventory to sales and delivery frequency. Bulk buying may offer a discount but ties up cash, refrigeration, and storage. Stock that cannot be used in time can increase waste.

Initially record daily use, leftovers, and recurring shortages, then adjust safety stock. Preparing tea and toppings in batches can make quality and losses easier to control than producing the entire forecast at once.

Write down recipes, portions, preparation order, and cleaning methods for staff. Two fast workers with different habits can still produce inconsistent drinks. Standard procedures support quality and easier handovers.

• Production records: daily cups and orders versus completed drinks in the busiest 15 minutes.

• Preparation records: ingredient use, replenishment, and waste.

• Staffing records: when two people are needed and what can be prepared in advance.

• Cash records: receipts, stock payments, monthly expenses, and the remaining reserve.

Use these records before adding equipment, staff, or products. They provide more direction than revenue alone.

Next: branding can make the same capacity more valuable

A standard shop and a branded shop can have the same capacity ceiling with the same people, equipment, and workstations. A branded shop invests more in quality, identity, and marketing so customers may accept higher prices and buy more cups through repeat visits and promotion.

Branding can raise actual sales without making the preparation line faster. When marketing brings orders close to peak capacity, staffing and workflow must be ready to retain that demand.

Part 3 follows the same operating logic to explain where a budget above NT$1.5 million goes and how higher prices and more cups influence the amount the business keeps.