The boba wars of Berkeley

"For UC Berkeley students, it's not a question of whether to get boba: It's where to get boba. In Berkeley's Telegraph District, a neighborhood adjacent to the south side of Cal's campus, there are a whopping 18 different shops that serve the popular Taiwanese drink featuring tea, milk, sweetener and tapioca balls. Eleven of these stores are primarily dedicated to boba, with the rest featuring it alongside other menu items."

"Binge Coffee House, which opened its second location on Berkeley's Durant Avenue this summer, had a steady flow of students on a recent Monday afternoon. Some gabbed with friends as they grabbed a quick matcha to go, while others hunkered down to study with a sweet drink in hand. "We opened at the same time as Chicha San Chen and HeyTea, two of the really big chains, so we are lucky to survive," said Binge Coffee House owner Minh Nguyen."

"Nguyen, who started with two boba shops in Oakland called Boba Binge, made his first foray into Berkeley last December. That's when he opened the original Binge Coffee House on Bancroft Way. He decided to differentiate himself from the overcrowded local boba scene by also offering Vietnamese coffee, banh mi and matcha. The new shop got so popular that a few months later, Nguyen decided to open a second, larger second location just half a mile away."

Telegraph District adjacent to UC Berkeley's south campus contains 18 shops serving boba, with eleven devoted primarily to the drink and others offering it alongside broader menus. Three new shops opened within a block of campus this year, and Berkeley hosts an annual boba celebration. Oversaturation has begun to dilute business, forcing shops to compete and differentiate through expanded offerings. Binge Coffee House opened two Berkeley locations, adding Vietnamese coffee, banh mi and matcha to attract customers. Concurrent openings by large chains such as Chicha San Chen and HeyTea intensify competition, prompting operators to seek unique value propositions.

Read at SFGATE