by Matt Wright
Stressed but excited. That’s how Lisa Nguyen described her feelings today with the opening of her Asian bubble tea bar, Boba Society, just 48 hours away. Her store is scheduled to open this Friday, July 22, next door to Frost Bake Shop at The Lake District.
Lisa and her husband Thi Nguyen, who are also Lakeland residents, have been working non stop the last few weeks to be ready for customers. That includes last minute construction, training employees and getting final inspections. But according to the owners, the wait will be worth it so Lakeland can enjoy their high quality drinks and eats. Ms. Nguyen said it was all hands on deck getting ready for the opening and even her family, who has 15 years of restaurant experience, flew into town to help with final preparations. “Yes, we’ve all be working to get ready,” she said.
Ms. Nguyen said Boba Society specializes in diverse flavors and textures in all of their handcrafted drinks by combining the best teas, smoothies, and small bites recipes with their signature creations. “We feel like it’s the kind of place where everyone will want to come and enjoy on a daily basis,” she said. Adding, “Our fresh ingredients and dedication to our product is unwavering – feeding your soul.”
Ms. Nguyen said she she’s always been a big fan of boba (bubble) tea and wanted to bring this to the Lakeland area. She said bubble tea shops have been around for 20 years in different parts of the country but is just now working it’s way into the south. “I’ve always been a big fan of Boba, I’ve always enjoyed it when I travel,” she said.
While the teas and drinks will be the main attraction of Boba Society, owners said they also plan to serve popular Asian style street foods such as Taiwanese popcorn chicken, Vietnamese Banh Mi, pandan waffles, and Korean corndogs.
“The growing community here is the perfect opportunity to introduce more culture, diversity and inspire people to try new things,” Ms. Nguyen said. “We hope everyone will come out and see what we have to offer.”
Boba Society opens from 11am to 7pm this Friday and then at it’s normal opening time at 9:30am on Saturday morning.
