It's Boba Time for Pearl Li! by Nicole Chen

Author:Nicole Chen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2022-12-12T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter

22

A FEW DAYS LATER, I walked into Boba Time with my notebook in hand and my head clear and ready for a chat with Auntie Cha. With all my hard work getting ready for Handmade, I figured it was also time to start thinking about how to get more customers into Boba Time. The money I was hoping to make was going to be just enough to fix the fridge. The next step was, as my mom would say, to “figure out a long-term, sustainable business plan” for Boba Time.

Ever since going to Sweet Yam Cafe a couple of weeks ago, I’d been mulling over some ideas that I wanted to share with Auntie Cha.

“Zǎo’ān, Auntie Cha! It’s Pearl!” The bells jangled behind me. As usual, the scent of tea and honey welcomed me. A small group of aunties chatted away in the corner, and a pair of college-aged girls with a stack of textbooks on their table tapped away on laptops.

Auntie Cha was nowhere to be seen. But I could make out the smell of star anise and licorice in the air. Auntie Cha must be making a new batch of tea eggs.

“Gâu-tsá, Pearl!” a muffled voice responded from the back. “I’m coming!”

She emerged a minute later, blowing her hair out of her eyes and wiping her hands on her apron. Her long black shirt flowed behind her, leaving behind a small cloud of dust. “Sorry, I was clearing out some space in the back. What can I get you today, young lady?”

“Actually, I wanted to talk to you about some ideas I had about Boba Time.” I motioned for her to take a seat at one of the tables. “Do you mind?”

“Sure! I’m always happy to talk to you. But let me check on the customers first.” She spoke quietly to the ladies, then made her way to the college students. When she was satisfied that they had what they needed, Auntie Cha settled in next to me.

“I went to Sweet Yam Cafe a few weeks ago. Have you been?” I asked.

She shook her head.

“They do some interesting things there that you could do here, too.” I pulled out my phone to show her some photos I’d taken when I was there with Cindy and Priya.

“See, their whole menu is in pictures, and they show all the ingredients and where they come from and how they’re made. When those girls were over yesterday, they had a hard time figuring out what to get because the menu was only in words. Maybe you could make menus with more visuals for people who don’t know much about your teas and toppings. Sweet Yam Cafe also had really nice printed posters that show off the food. You could design some, too, and hang them up.” I showed her some sketches of menu and poster designs I’d drawn inside my notebook.

Auntie Cha listened, nodding her head as I continued.

“Another idea is to make sure people know how natural and healthy everything is here.

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