Connexup Team
Dec 5, 2025
Fast-growing bubble tea brands in the U.S. face a common set of challenges: long lines, high labor costs, order errors, and lack of real-time insights. Ume Tea, with 28+ locations nationwide, tackled these challenges with Connexup’s self-ordering kiosk solution—streamlining operations, reducing wait times, and boosting revenue.
The U.S. beverage scene has evolved rapidly. Rising customer expectations and cultural trends have reshaped how people order and enjoy drinks. Fast-growing brands like Ume Tea confront:
Labor shortages & wage pressure: Harder to hire and retain staff during peak hours.
Rising operational costs: Ingredients, packaging, energy, and transportation eat into margins.
Supply chain & SKU complexity: Delays and regulatory issues, especially for sustainable packaging.
Customer expectations: Faster service, accurate orders, and more customization.
Technology adoption: Digital ordering, self-service kiosks, AI analytics give a competitive edge.
These pressures aren’t abstract—they impact daily operations and revenue directly.
Before implementing kiosks, Ume Tea faced:
1. Peak-hour bottlenecks
Long lines frustrated customers and limited throughput.
2. High labor costs & staff turnover
Employees were stretched thin, increasing burnout and recruitment costs.
3. Inconsistent order accuracy
Manual order entry caused errors and inconsistent product quality across locations.
4. Lack of real-time visibility
Management couldn’t track trending items, inventory strain, or revenue per store in real-time.
“We could feel we were leaving money on the table. At the same time, staff were stretched thin just keeping up during rush hours,” recalls the Operations Manager.
Ume Tea adopted Connexup kiosks across all stores in 2023. Key features include:
Touchscreen self-ordering: Customers customize and place orders independently.
Integrated payments: Reduces order entry workload for staff.
Seamless POS & backend integration: Syncs inventory and avoids mis-keyed items.
Real-time analytics: Dashboards track order volume, revenue, top SKUs, and queue times.
Purpose-built for multi-location beverage chains
Real-time insights across all stores for smarter decisions
Scalable from a single store to nationwide rollout
Intuitive customer-first ordering experience
Metric | Result |
|---|---|
Total kiosk-processed orders | ~900,000 |
Total revenue via kiosks | $12M+ |
Peak-hour wait times | Significantly reduced |
Staff allocation | More time for customer experience & product quality |
Operational visibility | Real-time store & product analytics, inventory tracking |
“Connexup’s kiosk solution has been a game-changer — not just for reducing pressure during rush periods, but for giving us insights we never had before, so we can keep scaling with confidence.”
Alleviates labor pressure: Reduces front-counter workload, lowers burnout.
Controls costs: Automates order entry, minimizes errors, optimizes staffing.
Enhances customer experience: Faster service, more customization, higher satisfaction.
Enables data-driven decisions: Inventory, menu, and promotion management with real-time insights.
Differentiates the brand: Modern self-service signals convenience and high service quality.
Connexup kiosks allow UmeTea to:
Handle today’s demand without overstaffing
Make proactive, data-driven operational decisions
Deliver consistent, high-quality customer experiences across all locations
Self-ordering kiosks are not just hardware—they’re a growth engine for multi-location beverage chains looking to scale efficiently and profitably.
See how Connexup kiosks can reduce labor pressure, increase revenue, and improve operational visibility for your beverage or restaurant brand.
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