The majority of Gotcha Fresh Tea’s franchisees are first-time business owners, who share confidence in the brand and products, and trust in the proven model.

However, while retail and customer service experience is beneficial as a new franchisee, it isn’t essential, says Justin Menzies, national business development manager.

“We don’t expect our franchise partners to be operational experts from day one. Instead, we look for committed business owners who are willing to learn, actively engage with their team, and build strong connections within their local community.

“We believe successful franchise ownership comes from combining a proven system with hands-on leadership, rather than relying solely on prior industry experience,” he says.

Extensive franchise support sets a good foundation

Gotcha provides a turnkey franchise model with the foundations for success set before opening. Robust franchisor support starts with assistance in site selection and lease negotiations. The franchisor also helps with store design and construction coordination, and procuring equipment and ingredients.

There are three weeks of comprehensive training to ensure franchisees are confident when they open the doors to their store. Franchisees will learn everything from drink preparation and standard operating procedures to opening marketing plans, and get up to speed on payroll and rostering.

“Our goal is to provide franchise partners with the tools, systems and confidence needed to launch successfully,” Justin says. 

“So during the critical opening period, area coaches work closely with franchise partners and their teams to ensure operational excellence from day one.”

Team support for the opening

Prior to opening, the Gotcha team is on hand for store set-up and pre-opening preparation.

This includes guidance on drink consistency and quality control, customer service standards, store presentation and cleanliness, promotional execution and team recruitment, onboarding and training.

Gotcha also provides all necessary marketing assets and in-store communication materials, including notices and campaign collateral.

And once a franchise is open, the franchisee will benefit from ongoing franchisor support. 

Innovative products, promotions

Gotcha is dedicated to maintaining brand relevance and ensuring customer engagement, and so every six to eight weeks the franchisor introduces new products – in addition to the seasonal campaigns, annual high-profile collaborations and limited-time promotions that are core to the bubble tea business.

Franchisees also benefit from loyalty app marketing, shopping centre partnership opportunities, sponsorship and partnership referrals, and customer enquiry and feedback management.

With all this support backing them up, franchise partners are able to focus on store operations. Gotcha encourages franchisees to spend significant time in-store during their first 12 months so they can master all the ins-and-outs of running the business.

The first year is an opportunity to better understand customer behaviour in the area, to identify sales trends, focus on team development and maximise local market opportunities. 

Successful operators stay hands-on instore

Of course franchisees are not alone, they are guided through this period with regular fortnightly store visits from area coaches to keep them on track. The coach reviews operational performance, drink quality, store presentation and campaign execution, and identifies opportunities for continuous improvement.

As franchisees develop and build their businesses, many of the successful operators in the network with multiple stores continue to take a hands-on approach. Remaining actively involved in their business serves them well.

As a safeguard, Gotcha monitors unit economics to preempt any significant drop in performance. 

The coaches review store performance on a weekly basis ongoing, monitoring sales trends and customer feedback while working closely with franchise partners to identify opportunities for improvement.

Sometimes a store does experience a decline in performance, and area coaches then work closely with franchise partners to identify the cause and implement a tailored action plan.

This may include sales analysis and performance reviews, local marketing recommendations, community engagement strategies, promotional planning or creative asset development.

Through regular store visit, performance reviews and operational coaching, Gotcha helps franchise partners identify growth opportunities and build sustainable long-term profitability.