CHAGEE Modern Teahouse opens new location at The Shops at Mission Viejo

Lines curve around at 6am in The Shops at Mission Viejo as customers wait for the Chagee grand opening. Connie Cheng | Lariat

The brand-new CHAGEE Modern Teahouse location at The Shops at Mission Viejo has freshly opened with wait times reaching four hours on its “grand opening” from Feb. 6-8.

Customers began lining up around 6:30 a.m., hours before the store’s official opening, all three days. This commotion was not only an attempt to be one of the first to try the new location’s tea, but also because of a limited-time plushie giveaway.

The teahouse amassed its following internationally with around 7,000 locations worldwide. This is location number six in the United States. This worldwide following is what has given CHAGEE its name recognition and is the cause of such a big opening weekend.

“Our team is very excited to see such a long line,” said Vanessa Chung, the store’s assistant manager. “We really work well together.”

Within the teahouse, an emphasis is placed on customer service, quality of care and teamwork. All team members strive to support their peers and pick up any slack rather than berating mistakes.

The rush of opening weekend was mainly managed so well because of CHAGEE’s team and the support they offer one another, Chung said.

“We have four core pillars, one is called togetherness,” she said. “No matter what, if someone is falling behind, someone is there to catch up.”

Chung was not the only one to express fondness for the opening weekend excitement. In addition, CHAGEE’s U.S. director of operations joined in and worked in the production line in the front of house, which seems unusual but goes along with the team’s aforementioned theme of “togetherness.”

Ed Nguyen, the store’s general manager, also worked on the busy “grand opening” weekend.

“Our marketing team did a great job; it was well planned and well executed,” he said.

Since the teahouse’s opening, the atmosphere has already changed quite a bit, said Nguyen. Wait times have sped up to an average of around six minutes even though the store has now introduced mobile orders and the full menu is now available.

Nguyen also emphasized the same message of collaboration. “One of the core values that we like to practice here is the concept of togetherness,” he said.

Based on Chung and Nguyen’s responses as well as the information found on the menu, CHAGEE seems to prioritize quality of service and quality of their tea. Chung even explained how CHAGEE has its own process in which it grows and cultivates its own tea; nothing is made artificially, she said.

CHAGEE’s menu includes three main categories of tea: extracted teas, brewed teas and special teas.

Nguyen explained that the new location’s most popular drink so far is its lemon tea, which makes up about 25% of that location’s sales. According to the menu, the lemon tea is a “special tea” that includes flavors like jasmine green and peach oolong, combining sweetness with citrus.

Nguyen also said that although the peach oolong tea is the best seller locally, the BOYA tea latte is what CHAGEE is known for internationally. This tea is a jasmine and green “brewed tea,” that has a floral and silky finish; it is fragrant and rich while not coming off as too overwhelming.

There does not seem to be any limited time or seasonal drinks available on the menu, at least not yet. However, there is a limited time offer surrounding many customer’s favorite artist.

CHAGEE has recently announced a partnership with singer-songwriter Laufey.

Their website explains that the partnership includes a contest with the winner given the opportunity to witness a live performance from the jazz singer. To enter the contest, a customer must purchase the “Laufey Tea Latte Bundle” for a chance to see her in May.

CHAGEE’s website also has a whole page dedicated to sustainability. The franchise aims to cultivate its tea ethically, working with its farmers to minimize its ecological footprint and the amount of waste output.

Additionally, the “CHAGEE Elephant Canteen” was an initiative established with the goal to construct food sources for Asian elephants.

With such an emphasis placed on quality and sustainability, CHAGEE seems like a fantastic option when craving a refreshing and rich beverage. And its expansion within the US only continues to grow, with seven more stores expected to open within the next year and a half.

Based on the store’s emphasis on quality and service, in addition to this new collaboration, CHAGEE continues to expand rapidly within the United States.

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