Mixue Ice Cream & Tea Is Formally the World’s Largest Quick-Meals Chain

Certain, there are greater than 32,000 Starbucks places in 80 nations, some 38,000 McDonald’s places in additional than 100 nations, and greater than 42,000 Subways sprinkled throughout the globe. However there’s one quick meals chain that has extra places than another — and in case you’re from the US, you’ve got possible by no means even heard of it. 

In early March, a lot of the Western world was launched to Mixue Ice Cream and Tea (pronounced mee-schway), a quick meals chain primarily based in China that is additionally discovered throughout a lot of Asia and Australia. It gained consideration due to its preliminary public providing (IPO), which the Wall Road Journal says helped it increase greater than $400 million. Its inventory closed 43% over its IPO worth, making its valuation skyrocket to greater than $10 billion. This is what it’s essential know in regards to the firm making a splash within the quick meals recreation.

There are a ridiculous variety of Mixue Ice Cream and Tea places

In response to the Wall Road Journal, Mixue Ice Cream and Tea ended 2025 with 45,000 shops, which implies it doubled its places throughout the final three years. As Reuters famous, most of its shops are run by franchisees, very like McDonald’s (about 80% of McDonald’s places are owned by franchisees). The corporate was based in 1997 by Zhang Hongchao and his youthful brother Zhang Hongfu as a easy and small ice store in Zhengzhou, Henan province. Now, the 2 brothers have a mixed web price of $8.1 billion, Enterprise Insider reported. 

It serves unimaginable specialty drinks at affordable costs 

The supply of the chain’s substantial income will be attributed to a simple menu that includes milk tea, fruit drinks, ice cream, and low. As Enterprise Insider notes, the menu choices are usually fairly economical, with the lowest-priced merchandise — the Signature King Cone ice cream — going for simply over $1 (SGD$1.50). Conversely, the costliest merchandise is the cheese strawberry drink, which retails for $3 (SGD$4).

In response to Quick Firm, one of many extra widespread menu gadgets at Mixue Ice Cream and Tea is the Tremendous Boba Sundae, which incorporates vanilla ice cream, candy caramel or brown sugar syrup, and boba topping, together with the Brown Sugar Bubble Tea and Lemon Black Tea. It is this selection and worth, analysts say, that makes it so interesting to clients and, in flip, to buyers. 

Its mascot is broadly beloved

The shop could also be most well-known for its nice offers, however its mascot is available in a detailed second. Often known as the “Snow King,” the mascot is a snowman adorned with a crown. As Quick Firm describes him, he’s “pleasantly spherical, wears a purple cape, and holds an ice cream cone on a stick like a scepter.” He has grow to be the shop’s definitive image, coming to life on social media and interesting with followers in actual life. 

Mixue might develop to the U.S. and Europe quickly

CNBC reported that the chain could quickly develop to Europe and presumably even the US. Investor Longdley Zephirin, principal and analyst at The Zephirin Group, advised CNBC that buyers are “warming as much as the bubble tea market once more,” including that its profitable IPO exhibits how “hungry” buyers are for manufacturers like this. Nonetheless, as CNBC famous, its largest problem could also be breaking into “tier one” cities the place competitors is stronger. Finally, we’ll solely know if they offer followers an opportunity to attempt it for themselves.