Just when we thought the dust had finally settled at Union Square Shopping Centre, it looks like the local bubble tea arms race is gearing up for round two.
If you have a sweet tooth, get ready—Richmond’s unofficial “Diabetes Plaza” is adding another global giant to its roster.
Round Two at Union Square
Last month, we covered the absolutely legendary lines for the Molly Tea grand opening, where people literally brought out camping chairs just to score a buy-one-get-one-free jasmine tea and some exclusive merchandise.
Well, the block is about to get even busier. We just spotted construction crews hard at work setting up TeaByDo in the exact same complex. If you haven’t heard of them yet, you definitely will soon. Operating under the name ChaPanda over in China, this brand is an absolute titan with more than 8,700 stores worldwide.
A Sneak Peek Inside
We managed to get a quick sneak peek past the construction barriers to see how things are progressing. Right now, the crews are mostly sorting out the heavy lifting—getting all the wiring and electrical work dialed in.
Because they haven’t even started on the actual interior decor or the signature branding yet, the official opening date is likely still a little bit away. But given the sheer scale of this brand, they aren’t going to drag their feet for long.
Will history repeat itself?
TeaByDo is massive for a reason; they specialize in fruit-heavy blends like mango pomelo sago and kyoho grape jasmine teas.
Molly Tea set the blueprint for how to cause a traffic jam at Union Square with their grand opening promos. If TeaByDo decides to drop similar BOGO deals or free limited-edition swag when their doors open, we are fully expecting the exact same mass-camping chaos to happen all over again.
The Food Scene Shuffle
It is pretty wild to see how quickly the lower mainland food scene is shifting right now and the bubble tea market is showing zero signs of slowing down. TeaByDo is joining the ranks alongside other highly anticipated mega-stalls like One Cafe as the newest kids on the block.
We will keep an eye on the construction progress and drop the official opening date as soon as the hoarding comes down!
Are you ready to line up for another massive global opening, or is Union Square officially at bubble tea capacity for you? Let us know over on Instagram!
