Gong cha Opens First Location in Maine

Bubble tea brand Gong cha will open its first location in Maine this week. Located at 200 Running Hill Road in South Portland, the store will serve the brand’s menu of freshly brewed teas, milk teas, fruit teas and customizable beverages.

Husband-and-wife team Tafari and Nhi Thomas, multiunit franchise operators with more than two decades of experience in the restaurant and hospitality industry, will own and operate the location.

Gong cha says the location marks another milestone in its continued expansion across the U.S. It operates more than 240 locations across 23 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. Overall, the brand, founded in Taiwan in 2006, has nearly 2,200 locations in 33 international markets.

Earlier this year, Gong cha introduced a next-generation design powered by automation and digital self-order kiosks.