Pearl Tea — Restaurant in Gig Harbor

Update again: I have gone in here and anytime I’ve gone in I never started anything with the staff. The staff and I always were friendly. If by starting stuff you mean me saying

• Oh you’re busy there should be more than just you working • Or oh man you’re out of that again ( which everybody says in line ) • Or me suggesting drinks to other customers when they were unsure what to get • Or me being like oh man that filter is dirty

All were factual things and nothing was wrong about any thing I’ve said. You go into any other boba place there’s a lot of people working at the same time. I was a loyal customer waited multiple times over half hour for my drinks. However, if you don’t listen to the audio how would you know I said these things and feel they’re so wrong? Any other establishment would be like oh man ya I better get those filters clean or man maybe I need more workers.

Update: I have gone into this establishment every day sometimes multiple times a day for three months buying two drinks each time. The owner was very nice and friendly at first. I notice then new people working and never saw the owner for a few weeks. Everyday they were out of certain ingredients. However the staff was friendly and I asked why are you always out of stuff. Hearing other customers say oh man you’re out of boba again today. Just last week I noticed the owner back in. Whom sits at a chair or bench until a customer walks in playing on her phone etc. I noticed she was very short and unfriendly when taking my order. I never thought anything of it. I even said thank you one day after she set my drinks out after being made and she just turned and walked to the back. Tonight I found out she has asked staff to not be friendly nor talk to me when I go in. ( one day my favorite worker was working and I was told today he was told to not talk to me nor say hi ) even a new worker whom started said she whispered to her before asking what I said and I had said oh they hired some help. She listens to her video surveillance and heard me say she’s always out of ingredients and that her air filter was dirty. And that the people in there working one at a time needing some help. Any boba place you go into has more then one person working. Sometimes you’d wait over half hour for drinks. But I kept going cause it’s not the workers fault. She heard that in her videos and she dislikes me because of that. I’ll not spend a dime here again. Everything I said was all true statements not anything even bad. Just stating the obvious. She also sends messages to her workers when certain customers come in the door that she doesn’t like.

I had a favorite spot in tacoma and recently moved over the bridge. I however was still going to tacoma for boba. I found this place and it is amazing. My only thing is I wish they were open later. Also just be careful the kid sometimes allows the drink to come out...

Update: We returned Saturday, 3/26/22! I can’t get over how delicious the drinks are! I brought my “picky” child this time and he even loved the drink he chose. On this visit, the seating was open, the floor behind the counter was clean, the drinks came out super quick may 5 mins, and they even got some pretty curtains to separate the back. The staff was super nice, friendly and knowledgeable. I called ahead of time to make sure they’d be open. The person on the phone was super kind and informative. This is really becoming a new favorite spot! Pros: Delicious drinks! Super cute shop! Guy at the counter was kind and nice. Oh and tons of plant base options!!! Cons: They were out of some drinks (not a big deal to me.) We did have to wait well over 30 min+ to get our drinks. (The employee did apologize and was sincere.) When I went to pick up my drink the floor was pretty dirty. Lots of boxes stacked in the back. No indoor seating. It was 630pm and they were locking it up for the night. Having worked in fast food myself I understand how hard it can be not having enough staff. The floor and boxes tell me it was a rough day. Covid brings on a whole new element to the chaos for businesses. It’s hitting many places hard and can be hard to manage. I honestly imagine the cons are probably due to Covid and all the challenges it can bring to small business owners. Overall, I think we would return again because of the taste, quality, and plant based options. It’s hard to find plant based options anywhere so we appreciate...

This place is an amazing addition to Gig Harbor ! No need to drive to Tacoma for the best bubble tea drinks . The place is super cute inside , seems quite clean , nice selection (except no Taro blended flavor yet apparently. ) Some things they still need : loyalty rewards cards for repeat customers , more flavors (although their flavors are much better than the usual powder , example : they seem to be using real blueberries instead of mere powdered flavor ) . More photos of items when you’re ordering . A lady asked me outside the store once , what is in there, what do they sell that my small son would like ? And so they should maybe reach those customers a little better, the ones who are clueless about what pearl tea is and/or have small kids. Another small gripe I have but not taking off a star , is that my sister ordered a drink with no ice , and the sales clerk said how about light ice ? (Presumably the Owner was standing next to her, listening.) And my sister said ok fine, just light ice . But when she got her drink it still was 1/2 to 3/4 full of just ICE . She didn’t want that , and frankly it’s a waste of money if you’re paying a high premium for a drink and you’re getting primarily a big cup of ice that’s taking up the volume of the cup. So that turned my sister off , but the drinks are so tasty and convenient we will be back anyway . Love the authentic lids also and the level of sweetness you want , somehow the “no sugar” option is still plenty yummy and sweet,...