This Popular Downtown Tea Bar Made an Unusual Move, Paying Its Staff to Take a Month Off

Known for its emphasis on excellence and minimalist design, Milk Tea People, a tea bar at 1614 Market Street, quickly became a staple for many after opening in July 2021. Its dedication to ethically sourced tea leaves, organic ingredients and carefully crafted recipes for its drinks and wafchis (a Belgian waffles-and-mochi hybrid) has drawn plenty of customers.

But last December, it announced that it would close for the entire month of January. Owners Kevin Ung and Timothy Gardner had been planning the move for months, though it wasn't a typical "tear down the walls and redo the flooring" kind of project they had in mind, Gardner says, but rather a rejuvenation. "Our motto is to deliver a cup of love to the community that we serve," he notes. "Recharging is just so important for us, so that we can continue delivering excellent service."

During the downtime, some physical changes were made to the interior of the shop, though most of them are hidden from the customer's view. Ung and Gardner made tweaks to the operational side of the matcha bar, which included upgrading the rinser and hot water dispenser. They also ordered a digital menu board for increased legibility and easier access for customers.
For the most part, however, they spent the month of January investing in their employees, which they call "teaologists." As Gardner puts it, "We wanted to give them time off to enjoy their personal lives. They are the ones that are interacting with the guests, so it's a win-win for all of us." The staff were given a fully paid month-long vacation and the chance to revitalize themselves before coming back to the store.

Closing a small business for an entire month can have a big impact on the bottom line. So was it scary? "Yes and no," Ung says. "We truly believe in taking care of the staff, because without them, Milk Tea People wouldn't exist."

Ung used the time off to refresh Milk Tea People's drink menu. When it reopened in February, it relaunched the highly requested rose jasmine latte, a blend of whole milk, vanilla cane sugar, jasmine green tea, and rose and hibiscus tea. He also developed several new drinks during the break, including a pistachio cream matcha and a cinnamon matcha horchata, which is made with hand-whisked matcha, vanilla cane sugar and horchata. The most recent addition is the raspberry jasmine horchata, a mixture of raspberry puree, jasmine green tea, and a housemade cinnamon horchata.
Ung's creative process is a culmination of his experiences and experiments inside and outside of the kitchen. He explains, "I get my inspiration from a lot of different things, like ice cream flavors, entrees, foods when I go out to eat, and the occasional drink there. Sometimes it’s just simply going to the kitchen and just mixing things."

Milk Tea People upholds its promise to never use preservatives or artificial flavorings, and Ung and Gardner pride themselves on delivering only the best of the best. While new drinks have been added, the wafchi flavors remain the same — though Ung is testing out ideas. "We're not launching something just to launch something," he notes. "The product as a whole is important to us."

This guiding philosophy of superior service paired with high-quality menu items has been in place since the beginning, and it's a major factor behind a lot of the business decisions the owners make. "One thing that we really want to do is not be in a hurry to grow and end up diluting our products," Gardner says. "Slow, sustained growth, which means strong growth, strong people around us, and the perfect location."

Milk Tea People is located at 1641 Market Street and is open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. For more information, visit milkteapeople.com or follow it on Instagram.