It looks like the robot revolution in Richmond has hit a major snag.
Tea Industries, the city’s first fully automated bubble tea shop, appears to have permanently shuttered.
If you walked by the shop back in October, you might have seen the windows papered over with a “Renovating” notice.
However, most know that sign is often just a polite placeholder for “Game Over”.
That suspicion was confirmed last week.
The renovation notices are gone, and now a large “For Lease” sign has officially gone up in the window.
This marks a short life for a concept that opened with significant hype just last year.
Tea Industries launched in March 2024, promising a futuristic twist to the saturated bubble tea market.
The star of the show was “Toffee,” a Japanese robotic arm capable of mixing drinks in under two minutes.
The concept was built on efficiency.
With the robot handling the labour, the shop operated with minimal staff and famously required “no tipping” from customers.
It also offered competitive pricing, with most drinks ranging between $5.50 and $6.50.
Despite the prime location near the Brighouse Canada Line station, the novelty seemingly wasn’t enough to keep the lights on.
The shop now joins a growing list of casualties in Richmond’s food scene like T+ Patisserie, the T&T Supermarket at ORA, and Bengong’s Tea at Yaohan.
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Address: #195 6388 No. 3 Rd, Richmond, BC