A new style of cafe based on an overseas trend towards integrating the creation of social media content into a hospitality experience is set to open in Wellington, creating 20 new jobs.
Gong Cha Manners St is set to open at the end of November and will be the first of the Gong Cha bubble tea chain to open in Wellington. The new space has been crafted by award-winning commercial interior design specialists Spaceworks in response to Gong Cha’s decision to take the company’s New Zealand look in a new direction.
“The team at Gong Cha wanted a space that felt fresh, clean and bright, and somewhere customers would enjoy coming to drink tea, and taking photos to post on Instagram – a lot of their customers are very social media-oriented and want somewhere they can get a great image,” said Spaceworks commercial director Bradley Keys. “The look is very clean and minimal, with a space within a space where customers can take photos and share them with their friends.”
Since launching just over a decade ago, Gong Cha has opened 1500 stores, including more than 600 outlets in USA, South East Asia and Australia - making it the fastest growing tea brand in this part of the world. The Wellington store is the latest of five new Gong Cha stores scheduled to open in New Zealand in 2018, adding to the company’s existing four outlets throughout Auckland.
