The Spice & Tea Exchange expands tea bar rollout to nearly 100 stores

The Spice & Tea Exchange is upgrading tea bars at nearly 100 franchise locations with digital menus and new handcrafted drink categories. The move is designed to boost in-store engagement and help franchise owners sell more custom tea beverages.

Why it matters: - The Spice & Tea Exchange is trying to turn its tea bars into a bigger revenue driver across nearly 100 franchise locations. - The upgrade gives stores a more flexible way to showcase hot and cold teas, seasonal drinks and owner-created beverages. - The company is also using digital menu signage to improve how stores communicate promotions and updates to customers.

What happened: - The Spice & Tea Exchange unveiled a phased rollout of upgraded tea bar concepts at nearly 100 franchise locations. - Co-founders Amy Freeman and Penny Rehling expanded the menu with curated handcrafted tea drinks built around the brand’s fresh loose-leaf teas. - Stores are adopting enhanced digital menu signage as part of the refresh. - Franchise owners Phil and Maryanne Munroe have already implemented the new tea bar concept at their Brighton and Rochester locations.

The details: - The upgraded tea bars use digital menus with three customizable categories. - The Core Menu highlights best-selling teas and build-your-own-drink options. - The Specialty Drinks Menu features exclusive tea drinks, including beverages designed by franchise owners and staff. - The Limited Time Offer Menu rotates seasonal and custom-crafted beverages. - Select locations are offering specialty tea lattes. - Amy Freeman said the goal is to deepen the in-store sensory experience and show guests how fresh loose-leaf teas can be used in original and seasonal drinks. - The Munroes said the digital menus catch guests’ attention as soon as they walk in and help convert shoppers who may not have considered handcrafted tea before. - Rochester recorded a 53.5% year-over-year increase in Tea Bar sales after the menu changes.

Between the lines: - The rollout positions tea bars less like a simple add-on and more like a craft beverage destination. - That framing could help franchisees compete more directly with coffee shops and cocktail-style beverage concepts. - The brand is leaning on customization to give individual stores room to localize offerings while keeping the chain identity intact.

What's next: - The Spice & Tea Exchange is continuing the phased rollout across its franchise system. - The company is pushing more stores toward digital merchandising and rotating beverage menus. - The brand is approaching 100 locations after franchising began in 2008 and the women-led leadership team took over in 2016.

The bottom line: - The Spice & Tea Exchange is betting that a more flexible tea bar can drive traffic, sales and a stronger in-store experience across its growing franchise network.