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Get ready, America: Here come China’s food and drink chains
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Employees of Chinese tea chain Chagee preparing drinks at the shop in Times Square, New York City.
PHOTO: AVA PELOOR/NYTIMES
Daisuke Wakabayashi and Joy Dong
SEOUL – The economic relationship between the US and China is as fraught as it has been in recent memory, but that has not stopped a wave of Chinese food and beverage (F&B) chains from moving aggressively into the US for the first time.
Chinese tea shops in New York and Los Angeles are offering consumers drinks topped with a milk or cheese foam. Fried chicken sandwich joints are trying to lure diners in California with affordable fast food. Restaurant and drink brands, some with thousands of stores in China, are taking root in American cities to escape punishing competition at home.
