Question 1

How much does boba catering cost?

Accepted Answer

As a worked example, Triple Sip is $950 for 100 guests before tax over the standard two hour window. That is $9.50 a head, all in. Packages run $5 to $7 per guest depending on whether you want two, three or four flavors: Double Sip is $5, Triple Sip is $6 and Quad Sip is $7. On top of that there is $125 setup and delivery, which covers the cart, setup and teardown and travel within 30 miles of DFW, plus $225 per bobarista, and how many you need depends on your guest count and how long service runs. Your 16 oz printed cups with dome lids, straws, napkins and ice come with the per guest rate. Every drink is the same price, except the matcha drinks, which add $1 a guest to the package rate. So Triple Sip with matcha is $1,050 for 100 guests before tax. Minimum booking is 50 guests.

Question 2

What's included in setup and delivery?

Accepted Answer

Setup and delivery is $125 and covers the cart, setup and teardown, and travel within 30 miles of DFW. Your bobarista is a separate line at $225 each, because staffing is a real cost and we would rather show it than bury it. How many you need depends on your guest count and how long service runs. The per guest rate covers the drinks plus the cup, dome lid, straw, napkin, ice and your toppings. One thing it is not: a gratuity. None of the setup and delivery fee is a tip. Gratuity is never included and never added automatically, so if you want to tip your bobarista, that is completely up to you.

Question 3

Is sales tax included in your pricing?

Accepted Answer

No. Prices are before tax. Texas sales tax applies to catering and is calculated from your venue's location, so it goes on your final invoice rather than the quoted package price.

Question 4

Why does matcha cost more?

Accepted Answer

Matcha is the most expensive ingredient on the menu and it is whisked to order, not poured from a batch. Ceremonial grade matcha costs several times what our other bases cost, and each cup is whisked fresh at the cart instead of being pulled from a pitcher. That is slower work and pricier product, so it adds $1 per guest to the package rate. The matcha drinks, Matcha Latte and Strawberry Matcha Latte, are the only exception on the menu. Every other drink is the same price, and matcha is worth it if your crowd wants it.

Question 5

What's your booking fee and cancellation policy?

Accepted Answer

A 25% booking fee holds the date and the balance is due one week out. Cancel more than 30 days before the event and the booking fee is fully refundable. Inside 30 days the booking fee is non-refundable but transfers to any new date within 12 months. Final guest count is locked one week before, and we bill actual cups poured if you come in under it.

Question 6

Is whipped cream extra?

Accepted Answer

It is available on request, depending on your event. We do not promise it as a standard finish. Whipped cream needs cold hold and it will not survive a hot outdoor Texas event. It is great indoors and in cooler weather, but if your event is a July afternoon in an open field, we will tell you straight that it will not make it from the cart to your table. We would rather talk you out of it than have it melt at your wedding. Ask about it when you book and we will figure out whether it makes sense for your day.

Question 7

What are your most popular drinks?

Accepted Answer

We are new, so here are the category favorites rather than our own sales figures: Classic Milk Tea, Mango Green Tea and Brown Sugar Boba Milk. Classic Milk Tea is the most ordered boba drink just about everywhere, and it is the safe pick for guests who have never had boba. Mango Green Tea is the most ordered fruit tea, and it is naturally dairy free. Brown Sugar Boba Milk is the most photographed boba drink there is, and because it is traditionally made without tea, it is also caffeine free. That is the honest answer: those are the category winners, not our booking data, because we do not have enough of it yet to tell you what our customers order most. Ask us again in a year.

Question 8

Do you have dairy-free, vegan or caffeine-free options?

Accepted Answer

Yes to all three, and the dairy-free milk swap is free. Any drink can be made dairy free at no extra charge. We use oat milk, which holds up better than almond under a strong tea base. Six drinks are dairy free and vegan exactly as poured, and eight contain no tea at all, so they are caffeine free. Every drink and topping on the menu page carries icons for this: DF for dairy free, CF for caffeine free, V for vegan, and EGG on the pudding topping, which is the only item made with egg. Check the menu legend before you pick your flavors. One honest caveat. Those labels describe how each drink is normally made. We work from a single cart with shared equipment, so we cannot guarantee against cross-contact. If someone at your event has a serious allergy, talk to us directly before you book and we will tell you honestly what we can and cannot do.

Question 9

Can you match drinks to our colors or theme?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We build a menu around your palette and print signage to match. Taro gives you purple, matcha gives you green, mango and thai tea give you orange, strawberry gives you pink and brown sugar gives you a warm caramel. Popping boba adds another layer of color on top. Send us your palette and we will suggest three or four drinks that hit it.

Question 10

What do the drinks come in?

Accepted Answer

16 ounce clear cups printed with our logo, finished with a dome lid. The cup is clear on purpose. The pearls and the layers are the whole visual, so your guests get to see them and so do their cameras. Dome lids mean nothing gets crushed on the way to the table, and the cups come with your per guest rate.

Question 11

Do you offer a tasting?

Accepted Answer

Yes, and it is free for couples and event planners with a date in mind, on weekdays in DFW. We bring four drinks and the full topping set so you can taste the actual menu before locking anything in. Very few caterers in Texas offer this, and it is the fastest way to know whether the drinks are any good.

Question 12

When should the boba bar open at our wedding?

Accepted Answer

Cocktail hour or right after dinner, not stretched across both, because cooked pearls only hold about four hours. Cocktail hour works when you want guests holding something while you are off taking photos. Post-dinner works when you want the bar to land as a dessert moment before dancing. Both are good, and picking one keeps every drink inside the fresh window instead of thinning one setup across six hours. A late-night block is possible too, as long as it is its own service window with a fresh batch of pearls rather than the same bar left open all night.

Question 13

How far in advance should I book?

Accepted Answer

Six to eight weeks is comfortable, and three months for peak wedding and grad season. Spring weddings, May and June graduations and December holiday parties are the crunch periods. We do take last-minute bookings when a cart is free, so it is always worth asking about a date inside two weeks.

Question 14

What kind of events do you cater?

Accepted Answer

Weddings, quinceañeras, showers, corporate events, brand activations, school events, graduations, fundraisers and private parties, anywhere in DFW with 50 or more guests. What actually changes between them matters more than the list. Weddings and quinceañeras are usually a compressed cocktail hour with a surge, so staffing is about beating the line. Corporate events tend to be invoiced and usually need a certificate of insurance naming the venue, which we turn around fast. School events lean on the caffeine-free options, since a third grader does not need Thai tea at 2pm. Same cart, same menu, same pricing for all of them.

Question 15

Do you travel outside DFW?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Travel within 30 miles is included, beyond that it is $2 per mile. We are based in Dallas–Fort Worth and cover Dallas, Fort Worth, Plano, Frisco, Arlington, Irving, McKinney, Denton and the rest of the Metroplex at no travel cost. For large bookings we go further into Texas, including Austin, Houston and San Antonio. Ask and we will quote it.

Question 16

What happens if it rains?

Accepted Answer

We set up under any covered space you have, or bring a 10x10 tent at no extra cost. The cart runs fine in rain as long as it is covered and the ground is not flooded. If the whole event is called off for weather, your booking fee transfers to a new date within 12 months.

Question 17

Can we add an extra hour on the day?

Accepted Answer

No. Extra hours are arranged when you book, not on the night. We cook pearls to your booked window, and cooked pearls only hold about four hours. We bring product for your guest count and your service length, and your bobarista is booked for a set shift. So an hour added at nine at night is not a pricing problem, it is a we physically do not have the pearls problem. Book the hour up front instead. It is $3 per guest per hour with a $200 minimum, so $200 at 50 guests and $450 at 150, and it includes the drinks for that hour, not just the staffing. Because the price follows your guest count, we need to know at booking so the product and the staffing are planned for it.

Question 18

What space and power do you need at the venue?

Accepted Answer

About 8x6 feet of flat ground and a standard outlet within 50 feet. We bring everything else. Flat matters more than big. Grass is fine if it is level. We bring our own water, ice, and a table if the venue has none, and the cart breaks down to fit a standard doorway or freight elevator. No outlet available? Tell us early and we will bring a quiet battery pack instead.

Question 19

How many people can one cart serve per hour?

Accepted Answer

60 to 80 drinks per hour per bobarista. Each drink is made to order: tea, ice, shake, toppings, dome lid on. That is roughly 45 to 60 seconds of hands-on work. We plan on 65 drinks an hour per bobarista, so one covers up to 100 guests, or 65 drinks per hour of service, whichever is smaller. Past that we add bobaristas at $225 each and the line stops forming. Two hours of service is included, drinks are unlimited the whole time, and extra hours are $3 per guest per hour with a $200 minimum, drinks for that hour included. Take your headcount, divide by 70, and that is how many service hours one bobarista needs.

Question 20

How many drinks do I need per guest?

Accepted Answer

This is a planning question, not a billing one. Drinks are unlimited during your service window, so the number does not change your price. Most guests have one to two drinks across a two hour window. Boba is filling, so plenty of people stop at one, and the ones who come back for a second do not cost you anything extra. Your price is per guest, not per cup. Where the number does matter is throughput and staffing. A bobarista pours about 65 drinks an hour, so if your crowd is likely to double dip, that changes how many bobaristas you need to keep the line short, not what the drinks cost.

Question 21

Are you insured?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We carry general liability insurance and provide a certificate of insurance on request. Most venues, office buildings and school districts require a COI naming them as additional insured before a vendor can set up. Ask on the quote form and we turn it around within one business day.

Question 22

Is a boba bar or a coffee cart better for my event?

Accepted Answer

A boba bar wins when guests want something fun and cold, and a coffee cart wins for early mornings, older crowds and cold outdoor events. Book a coffee cart instead if your event starts before 10am, if the average guest age is over 55, or if it is an outdoor event under about 55 degrees. Nobody wants iced tea in a parking lot in January. Book the boba bar for receptions, afternoon and evening events, anything with kids or a crowd under 40, brand activations that need a line, and any event where the drink is part of the entertainment.

Question 23

DIY boba bar or professional catering, which should I do?

Accepted Answer

Under about 30 guests, DIY usually wins. Over 50, catering usually wins. In between, it comes down to whether you want to be at your own party. DIY is genuinely the better call for small groups, casual low stakes gatherings, and any time somebody in the group actually enjoys the project. Making boba is fun if making boba is the point, and you keep total control over timing and menu with no vendor to coordinate. Under about 30 people it is hard to justify a caterer, and most caterers including us have a 50 guest minimum anyway. What DIY costs you is not really money. Somebody has to run it, and that somebody is usually the host, so at your own graduation party or your kid's celebration the person behind the drink table is not at the party. Cooking tapioca pearls is fiddly too. Undercooked leaves a hard center, overcooked turns to mush, and cooked pearls only hold for about four hours before they harden, which is why so much homemade boba is cooked in the morning for an evening event and quietly disappoints. Volume is the other trap: making 20 drinks by hand is fun, making 100 is a job. Then you buy bulk syrups, powders and toppings you will never finish, and you clean it all up at the end of a night you also hosted. Catering earns its cost at guest counts where hand making every drink stops being fun, at events that matter and are worth consistent quality, and at venues that require a certificate of insurance from any vendor, which many do and which you cannot provide for yourself. It also earns it when the host should be a guest, and teardown is somebody else's problem. What it costs you is minimums, ours is 50 guests, more money for a small group plainly, and less spontaneity because dates get booked ahead. The honest dividing line: if the event is small, casual, and somebody actually wants to make the drinks, do it yourself and have fun. If the guest list is over 50, the event matters, or the person who would be running the bar is someone who should be enjoying the party, hire it out. If you land in the middle, ask one question. At the end of the night, do you want to have hosted this or worked it? For the record, we only do full service. We do not sell DIY kits or self serve setups, so this is not us talking anyone out of DIY to sell a package. It is us telling you where the line actually is.

Question 24

How many flavors should I pick?

Accepted Answer

Three covers just about every guest at a mixed event, and it is the package we recommend. Triple Sip is our default recommendation because a milk tea, a fruit tea and a specialty covers just about everyone without slowing the line the way four choices would. Two is a focused, faster menu that works well at busy events. Four is for large events with a wide age range or where maximum choice is the point.

Question 25

Do you do drop-off?

Accepted Answer

No. We only do full service, with a bobarista making drinks at your event. The drinks are made to order in front of your guests, and that is the thing we actually sell. Cooked pearls also only hold about four hours before they harden, so an unattended setup starts getting worse the moment it is dropped off. We do not sell DIY kits, self serve stations, or boba by the gallon. If your event is under 50 guests or you want something you set up yourself, a local boba shop can usually do a bulk order, and that will serve you better than we would. We would rather send you somewhere that fits than book an event we are wrong for.

Boba Catering Questions, Answered Straight

Pricing & Payment

Menu & Dietary

Booking & Timing

At Your Event

Is This Right For Me?

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