News broke in August that California-based boba chain Teaspoon was opening its first location off the West Coast, breaking into the Vegas market with an outlet to open at the highly anticipated UnCommons. Only two months later, word is out of another Teaspoon restaurant opening soon in Summerlin, with more to follow.
Behind the upcoming Summerlin location is a duo of University of Nevada, Las Vegas MBA candidates Adina d’Almeida and Franchesta Hammonds, who confirmed the news in a phone call with What Now Las Vegas late Monday morning. The two entrepreneurs dreamed up the idea of opening a boba shop during the process of attending a finance course together.
“From the time when we started the finance class to the end, I got addicted to boba,” Hammonds said. “I was thinking, why was this not in my neighborhood?”
In addition to established boba favorites like Thai Tea and Taro Milk Tea, the chain serves a variety of signature drinks, like the Silky Mango (d’Almeida’s favorite: house mango puree infused with organic milk and honey boba) and the Flamingo (Hammond’s favorite: real watermelon with passion fruit juice). The menu also features macarons in varieties like Ferrero Rocher, Pistachio Guavo, and Pumpkin Spice Latte.
The two partners had been searching for the right boba franchise to get started with when Teaspoon, which is working to build its presence in the Las Vegas area, reached out to them.
“We really like this franchise. Boba is typically a very Asian kind of drink,” said d’Almeida, an Asian-American entrepreneur. “The style of this restaurant really diversifies it.”
“We’re bringing it to the suburbs,” Hammonds added. “We’re bringing it to everybody.”
The space at 1990 Village Center Cir is part of a community of dining, retail, and other locations. Nearby eateries include Egg Works and Sultan’s Grill.
Hammonds, who has a background in site selection from franchising with Massage Envy, noticed the location, passing by from time to time. “I just picked up the phone and called, and they were interested in the concept, and it went really quickly from there,” she said.
Can more Teaspoon locations be expected from the entrepreneur duo in the future?
“Yes,” d’Almeida said, somewhat reticent on the subject. “And we do have an idea of where. We just have to make it happen.”
