AS STARBUCK HAS BEEN A HUGE HIT IN SEOUL KOREA WITH 600 BRANCHES–TAIWAN DESSERT FRANCHISES TAKING AIMS TO FOLLOW SUIT WITH BUBBLE TEA MADE OF TEA WITH MILK AND TAPIOCA BALLS FROM GONG CHA WITH 200 BRANCHES

In 1999, when Starbucks launched its first Korean branch in Seoul, few could have predicted the chain's dominance today. With more than 600 branches nationwide, Starbucks attracts 320,000 customers per day.

Chinese dessert franchises want to follow in the coffee chain's footsteps and capture the nation's food service industry in much the same way.
Kim Jin-joo, 23, has been a fan of Taiwanese bubble tea — a traditional tea mixed with milk and chewy tapioca balls — ever since she first tasted it during a visit to the Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung.
"With its wide range of flavors, I remember the bubble tea house was a lot of fun," the college student told The Korea Times. "Visiting teahouses became an essential activity for me and my friends."

Now Kim and her friends are regular customers at Seoul's bubble tea franchises. Her favorite is Gong Cha, which opened its first branch two years ago in Seoul's arts district near Hongik University. Now Gong Cha has more than 200 branches throughout the nation.

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/culture/2014/11/399_162390.html