Which Boba Shop in Kennewick is Worth Visiting?

Which Boba Shop in Kennewick is Worth Visiting?

Background Information

There are many boba shops throughout the Tri-Cities including Novel, Boba Bear, Pearl Tea, and Boba Lab. All of these options may be overwhelming and make it difficult to decide which one is going to be worth the trip. The only way to find out is to try and compare different shops and consider important factors such as price, quality of ingredients, customer service, and atmosphere. Although there are many options for boba shops in the Tri-Cities, I wanted to compare two specific ones within Kennewick. The two shops I want to take a closer look at are called Boba Lab and Boba Bear. 

Both shops are fairly close to each other and located around the main streets and business centers in Kennewick, which is Clearwater and Columbia Center Boulevard. 

The strategic location of these boba shops makes each of these shops accessible. Both of these boba shops were in strip malls which gives them a sense of community and makes them stand out more. They are both located in the middle of many different businesses and the design on the outside of their shops makes them stand out. Along with distinct placement, both shops had accessible parking and the store’s hours and information listed on the outside of the

doors, letting the customer know the shop’s basic information upfront, allowing for more business.  Customers are going to feel more comfortable if they don’t have to scramble for parking and if they know when to show up. Boba Bear’s outside window featured a sign explaining what boba is, along with some menu availability they had, which makes first-time visitors feel welcome and ready to order what they want and know what it is that they’re drinking. Given some background information about the businesses, it’s also important to look at every factor that is going to help us decide which of these two shops is going to be worth your visit.

Menu Options

One of the most important things to consider when deciding who to give business to is what kind of menu options they have. You want to know if that place is going to have the food/drink that you want, and it always adds to a positive experience when there are lots of options to choose from, so you don’t feel limited. It’s nice to know that a place can accommodate for many different tastes and preferences of their customers. Before I visited Boba Lab and Boba Bear, I visited each of their websites and took note of the various menu options of each shop. I aimed to find out which shop had the best variety, along with the best value for their prices. 

Boba Bear’s menu consists of 39 signature boba drinks, 39 smoothie flavors, passion fruit tea, lemonade, mangonada & redbull, lemonade smoothie, mangonada, and  25 additional redbull drinks. This menu has hundreds of options and customizations depending on what you like. 

This amount of variety shows that their business can be for anyone; whether you prefer redbull, lemonade, traditional boba, or smoothies. If you end up at this boba shop and decide you aren’t really feeling boba that day, there are many alternatives available. Whatever your preference is, Boba Bear’s menu allows for a considerable amount of customizations and all different types of drinks to choose from.

Onto Boba Lab: their menu includes 14 signature milk teas, dirty chai, Vietnamese coffee, coconut coffee, white chocolate mocha, 7 Tea Lovers drinks, flavored lemonades, 15 signature Lab Creations, 5 signature redbull drinks, and 4 signature lotus drinks. 

Much like Boba Bear, Boba Lab’s menu features an extremely wide selection of drinks depending on your personal preference. Both shops have lots of variety besides milk tea, but the alternatives they carry on their menu are different from one another. Boba Lab has a few signature coffee and lotus drinks, which allows for more variety if you’re not a red bull or tea drinker. They do not have smoothies like Boba Bear does, but each of these menus is unique in their own way, so it’s nice to know that each shop is doing their own thing with their menu options The boba shop you select may depend on the type of drink you are feeling that day, given the wide diversity featured in both of these menus.

Prices

I believe the logical next step after considering what menu options are available is to see how much you’re going to be paying for the items you decide on. This is an important thing to consider when deciding which boba shop is going to be the most valuable for the money you spent on it. When comparing the prices I want to consider which shop is more expensive, and if that more expensive price is justified for the quality of the products you’re getting. If one shop is cheaper than the other I want to figure out if the product is cheap because it isn’t as high quality, or if the products are good quality for a great price. I could spend some time listing all of the prices of the menu items I just covered, but I want to transition into my personal experience at each of these shops by comparing the prices of the items that I bought. I wanted the price and taste of these two drinks to be as similar as possible, so the comparison would make sense. At both Boba Bear and Boba Lab, I purchased a 24 oz brown sugar milk tea with tapioca boba. 

That was the only size that was available for Boba Lab’s tea, so I bought a 24 oz size at Boba Bear to make them comparable. The first shop I visited was Boba Lab, where I paid $7.45 for a 24oz milk tea (my total was $9.10 after a 15% tip). At Boba Bear, I paid $6.61 for the same drink (my total was $7.60 after 15% tip). Getting the same exact drink and leaving the same exact tip at both places, I paid less at Boba Bear than I did at Boba Lab. Which begs the question: are these prices justified? The average price for a milk tea in the Tri-Cities area is around $6.00-7.50, so both of these prices fall right in that average range. I wouldn’t say Boba Lab’s prices are unreasonable given the quality of their ingredients and the amount of boba you are getting for that price. However, Boba Bear’s drink was cheaper for the same amount of tea and their quality of ingredients is fairly similar to the ones at Boba Lab. Boba Bear’s prices are cheaper without their ingredients seeming cheap as well. This factor makes it easier to choose the boba shop with the best value, which in this case is Boba Bear.

Customer Service

After comparing the basics of the shops, I want to move into the visit and my actual experience when I visited each of these places in person. During each of my visits, I took note of the things that stood out to me the most and that I thought would be important to consider as far as the way the shop felt. The main thing that I took into consideration was the the feeling that each shop was giving me. One major thing that contributes to the feel of a place is the customer service. This can make or break a visit and greatly impact your desire to revisit the location.

 

Starting with Boba Lab, if I had to rate the overall customer service, I would give it a 7.5/10. It certainly wasn’t bad and I thought that the baristas were fairly nice. However, their greeting when I entered the shop didn’t seem the most friendly and something about the way they interacted with me told me that they weren’t enjoying themselves. It could have been outside factors like a negative shift or a bad experience with a customer beforehand and I didn’t want to make snap judgements; but it’s just something that I noticed when interacting with them. They did make the process of ordering and paying simple and straightforward, and they got my drink ready very quickly. Overall, I wasn’t unhappy with their service, but it didn’t stand out to me as great service. That’s why I gave it a pretty average rating.

Moving onto Boba Bear, I would rate their service 9/10. This customer service stood out to me slightly more than Boba Lab and the barista I spoke to was very friendly and helpful. They greeted me when I walked into the shop and immediately made sure I was helped. They politely double-checked to make sure they had the right order and were very speedy in taking the order and getting it ready for me.

 I received my drink in less than a minute and they pleasantly wished me a nice day as I exited the store. The customer service at this store was much nicer than the service I experienced at Boba Lab. Again, Boba Lab’s service wasn’t bad, but it didn’t stand out to me as great service as it did at Boba Bear. Overall, Boba Bear’s customer service was more notable and provided an elevated experience. 

Atmosphere

Besides the customer service, the atmosphere of the shop is an important way to form an opinion on a shop when comparing options. During each of my visits; along with taking note of how my interactions with the baristas made me feel, I took note of things that stood out to me in the atmosphere of the shop. Such as, the coloring, decor, layout, and lighting choices. When comparing two different options for a shop, you want to pay attention to how each vibe of the shops compares to one another. If one shop fits your vibe more than the other, you’re going to want to come back to that shop.

Boba Lab’s atmosphere felt very modern and sleek, with subtle pops of color in their decor. They used a lot of whites and greys on their counters, floors, seating, walls, and menu design. Their furniture design is very sleek with blocky shapes and a minimalist approach. It all felt very corporate and bland to me, but the posters of cartoon characters from the Simpsons and various Anime shows gave the store some character and contrasted from the minimalism. These posters added a nice bit of personality to the store to make it more interesting and stand out against the bland colors. 

When I sat down at a table, there was a game of connect-four set up to play. Having board games available for customers was a nice touch and added an element of entertainment and community. The overall atmosphere of the store was calming and welcoming. The way the shop smelled wasn’t too aggressive, the music was at a reasonable volume, and the decor added a sleek and calming feel to the shop. My only criticism of the store was that some things being too bland or modern doesn’t feel as authentic as some local boba shops that have more diverse decor and vibrant atmosphere. 

Boba Bear’s felt more tight-knit and community oriented. The shop’s layout was smaller, along with it being a smaller business than Boba Lab. Small businesses tend to feel more personalized and intimate which always adds to the atmosphere. The decor felt more authentic and interesting.

 It featured cartoon bears and bubble tea memorabilia such as bags, plushies, and keychains. The decor felt more true to the shop’s theme than it did at Boba Lab. The cartoon bears gave the decor character while featuring the title of the shop. The bubble tea souvenirs displayed throughout the store gave the customer more to look at and encouraged them to have something to commemorate their visit. Similar to Boba Lab, Boba Bear also featured a lot of white colors, but they had more color variety in their decor. For example, their tables were made of wood instead of being plain and white.

 This added warmth and texture to the shop’s color palette and made the space feel more grounded. I appreciated both of these shops’ decor choices and feel that both of them decorated their space well. However, Boba Bear’s decor felt more intentional, cohesive, and personal to the shop.

Final Thoughts

After comparing both Boba Lab and Boba Bear by looking at menu options and pricing, customer service, and the ambience of each shop; I’ve come to the conclusion that both shops have strengths and weaknesses and what you choose depends on the vibe you’re looking for. If you’re more focused on the cheaper option, Boba Bear has great prices for quality ingredients. If you’re more focused on the atmosphere of the shop, visit Boba Lab if you want a sleek, modern feel with neon accents.

 Conversely, you should visit Boba Bear if you’re looking for a warmer, more intimate atmosphere. If you are looking for a minimalist vibe and unique tea options, Boba Lab is worth visiting. However, if you want the best overall value, more standout service, and a welcoming environment, Boba Bear is a great option. It all depends on your personal taste and the vibe you’re into. In any case, both of these boba shops have something unique to offer, and trying different experiences is a great way to figure out what kind of vibe you’re most drawn to and which shop you like the best.