What should I ask about a bubble tea shop’s busiest seasons and weather swings?
Ask for sales by week across the whole year and line them up with the weather, school calendar and local events. Cold drinks sell in heat and hot drinks in cold, so find out how the shop handles each swing in stock, staffing and cash. A shop that only thrives in one season needs a plan for the rest.
Request weekly sales instead of monthly totals, because bubble tea can move sharply on a single hot weekend or a rainy week. Place the weeks next to the weather, holidays, exams and local events. Ask the seller which stretches are strongest and which are slow, and whether the slow patches have changed since the shop opened.
Look at what the shop does in each season. Does the menu shift to hot drinks, or do sales simply fall? How do staff hours change, and do people stay through the quiet time? Seasonal businesses must carry cash through weak periods, so ask how the owner has handled it, and how much stock such as tapioca, syrups and cups is bought ahead of a peak.
Visit in a slow week and a busy one if you can. Your accountant can read the financial statements with you to see how cash moves through the year. Ask also whether the lease or the building affects patio use, signage or hours at peak times. Ask whether the owner has ever closed early or cut hours in a slow stretch, and how staff reacted when hours changed.
Key takeaways
- Ask for weekly sales across a full year, not monthly totals.
- Compare busy and slow weeks with weather and school calendars.
- Ask how the shop keeps cash and staff through quiet stretches.
- Check how far ahead perishable stock is bought for a peak.
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Sources
This answer is checked against primary sources. Links were last confirmed on the dates shown.
- 01Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentHow to conduct due diligence when buying a business
- 02Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentWhat are the steps to buying a business?
- 03Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentWhat are financial statements?
- 04Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentWhat is inventory
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