Fast-growing Kung Fu Tea opens first franchise in Rockford
By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — A fast-growing franchise dubbed “the Starbucks of bubble tea” has opened its first location in the city.
Kung Fu Tea, 6915 E. State St., welcomed its first customers on Friday. It was slated to be a soft opening, but the shop was bustling Friday afternoon after its first day was announced on social media.
“On Facebook I saw the thing about the Princess Peach tea, and all the other fun stuff,” said Nevaeh Strohfus, who came for a tea with Bailey Devlieger. “It’s exciting how much new stuff Rockford is getting. We’re getting a lot of fun stuff.”
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The Princess Peach’s Tea Party special that caught Strohfus’ attention is part of an exclusive partnership between the national chain and Nintendo offering limited-time flavors. On a regular basis, Kung Fu Tea has a variety of milk teas, slushies, milk caps, and classic teas with boba pearls at the bottom.
All its drinks are made-to-order and customizable. Toppings range from bubbles and milk cap to different types of beans and jellies.
Some of the best-selling flavors include the winter melon milk tea, mango green tea, taro slush and honey oolong tea, to name a few.
The local franchise is a family-led operation owned by Thanh Nguyen and his younger brother, also named Thanh Nguyen, who both came to Rockford from Vietnam.
Fans of the franchise have been awaiting its opening for months after the first announcement of its pending arrival happened on Facebook last June.
Kung Fu Tea, which was given the Starbucks comparison in a 2017 article by The Washington Post, was named one of Entrepreneur Magazine’s fastest-growing companies last year.
The franchise was founded in April 2010 by four Taiwanese entrepreneurs in Queens, New York, and now has more than 440 locations across the country.
Kung Fu Tea | Rockford
Where: 6915 E. State St., Rockford (near Primetime Audio Video by the corner of State Street and Perryville Road)
On Social: Kung Fu Tea Rockford on Facebook
Online: kungfutea.com
Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas
