New Snack and Drinks Place Opens in Newark

Priscilla Ng

Staff Writer

    QQ Cup, a store that sells smoothies, snacks, and milk tea options that are typical to Asian restaurants such as Tea Six or Quickly’s, opened January 18 in the Safeway Center in Newark.

    Drinks are entirely customizable; for example, when ordering milk tea, customers have the option of green tea or black tea, milk or no milk, honey boba or popping boba, different levels of sweetness, as well as a list of fourteen different flavor options, all just for one drink order.

    “I like going to Quickly’s, but I think that their food and drinks are pretty unhealthy,” junior Samuel Shing said. “I think the biggest problem is that the drinks seem artificially flavored and aren’t that natural.”

    Although snacks at QQ Cup are not currently available, their drinks are ready to order.

    “Everything that we serve is fresh made,” cashier Cindy Luu said. “For the milk tea, the tea is freshly brewed every morning and the boba is made every  two hours. For the smoothies, the fruits are freshly squeezed after the order is placed.”

    Besides complaints about artificial flavors, students also seem to take issue with prices and sizes of the products.

    “I love going to Tapioca Express because their milk tea is really good,” senior Roger Lee said. “But their portions are way too small and expensive, too.”

    Not only does QQ Cup offer a more natural alternative to other restaurants, the new store also offers other promotions to encourage more customers to try different items on the menu.

    “Since we just opened, we only have one size available, the twenty-four ounce cup, but we’ll have other sizes available soon” Luu said. “Also, we’re having a sale currently where all orders are given a discount. Hopefully, this will encourage more people to stop by.”

    On top of lower prices, QQ Cup is also a medium-sized restaurant (as compared with smaller places like Quickly’s), complete with nine different tables, music playing overhead, and a television that streams various shows and movies through Netflix.

    “We’re still in the process of setting up everything, like the crepes that we will hopefully have by next week,” Luu said. “Hopefully, our store will attract a lot of customers so we’re trying to get the word out as soon as possible.”

      With a student population that seems to greatly enjoy milk tea restaurants, perhaps QQ Cup will have a great appeal to students looking for a cheaper and more natural snack shop option.