By: Jada Pan, Staff Writer
TP Tea has recently opened on Broadway, adding to the eight other boba shops already in Millbrae—T4, Teahut, Bambu, Ume Tea, Wanpo, Bundow Boba, Grapeholic, and TeaEver. This counts a total of nine boba shops. “Why are there like 10 [boba shops] on each block? Or it’s like one on every block on El Camino and Broadway,” said student Kayla Chow (11). A new concern has been raised for many: Are there too many boba shops in Millbrae?
Originating from Taiwan, boba has taken the Bay Area, especially Millbrae, by storm over the past few years. The combination of sweet, chewy black sugar tapioca pearls balanced with slightly bitter milk tea in each sip has become a favorite treat. For many teenagers, boba isn’t just a drink or dessert. Like coffee, it has become more of a social experience as people get boba with friends to catch up with each other.
Millbrae business owners have caught on to the wave of boba popularity since then with the ten establishments downtown. However, too much of a good thing can quickly become a bad thing. While teenagers are drawn to boba, its new flavors, and the social experience of visiting trending spots with friends, regular boba consumption has raised questions about potential health complications. Studies have shown that its high sugar, calorie, and carbohydrate content is linked to long-term health conditions such as diabetes.
While interviewing students, most shared the same sentiment about the saturation of boba shops in Millbrae. “There’s too many of these random boba shops,” said Natalie Lo (11). “We even get [boba] from school, and we sell it here,” said Ann Zhou (11) “There’s a boba infestation of Millbrae.”
Students also felt that cost was an issue, especially with inconsistent quality and taste. “They’re all ridiculous to the overpriced like, why is this seven bucks for a drink?” stated Lo. “You had to add extra money for boba… you order from a screen, and then it has the audacity to ask you for a tip.” She also mentioned that T4 once served her a drink with expired milk, souring her experience.
Moreover, the limited variety of food selections in Millbrae leads to customer fatigue as new boba shops keep popping up. “Instead of boba shops, they open up actual food restaurants… like Sweet Indulgence,” said Maizie de Guzman (11). She expressed frustration over the openings of new boba shops as they sell similar sweet beverages rather than substantial food options like dessert.
Consequently, boba shops are occupying space that could be used for more diverse restaurants. This lack of diversity not only restricts choices for residents but also opportunities for new restaurants to share different cultural cuisines in Millbrae.
On the other hand, some students brought up the point that some boba shops do offer unique menu options that add to their appeal. ”I’ve liked seeing boba shops expand a little outside of just a typical, milk tea and pearls style, because, for example, there’s Bambu,” shared Zhou. She explains that boba shops like Bambu specialize in Vietnamese desserts while T4 offers popcorn chicken, appealing to more customers. These specialized menu items justify the presence of so many boba shops in Millbrae. However, despite these varied options, each shop ultimately offers the same thing. All boba shops blend into the same experience, making their overwhelming number of options feel redundant rather than unique.
When asked what they would like to see in Millbrae, many students strongly expressed interest in having a frozen yogurt place. Naia Germain (11) explained that there have been no frozen yogurt shops in the area since the closing of Nubi Yogurt. “The closest YogurtLand is 35 minutes away in Mountain View,” she added. Some students also shared that they would like to see more grocery markets after the closing of Lucky, preferably Asian-oriented options.
Overall, Millbrae’s boba scene reflects a more general trend of boba’s popularity that I, as a Taiwanese-American, am proud of. However, I believe the sheer amount of boba shops has gotten out of hand. As students are influenced to consume boba more frequently, valid health concerns are raised due to the high sugar content and low nutritional value. The lack of diverse options aside from boba also overshadows other cultural identities of our community. With nine boba shops, I feel that many missed opportunities exist for a wider range of cultural flavors to be shared in Millbrae.
