Nubo & Moo Moo On Calvine In Jeopardy After Starbucks Legal Team Says They Can’t Sell Drinks To-Go

A Mom & Pop Business Owner’s Lament

Nubo & Moo Moo, a small Mom and Pop restaurant and boba joint known for its yummy Vietnamese food and delicious boba drinks is in trouble. Recently an attorney from Starbucks called and told them the nearby Starbucks had a non-compete clause in their lease which effectively prevents any other business in the same center from selling coffee and tea drinks to-go.

Boba drinks originated in Taiwan and have become popular in the United States. They are usually tea, coffee, or slushy or smoothie type drinks with tapioca pearls, or jelly, or fruit. They are usually served in plastic to-go cups with big and thick straws.

The owner of Nubo & Moo Moo, Andy Ha, is upset. Owner Andy Ha is capitulating and spoke to ABC10. “The lawyer called us and said that any tea or tea-based drink you can’t take to-go. We’re the little mom and pop shop, we don’t have the big lawyer to represent us. People often come in here and then when we tell them you can’t take a tea-based drink to go they get angry and just walk out.” Andy says he has lost 40% in revenue with not being able to serve boba drinks in to-go cups.

The Reaction

Patrons of Nubo & Moo Moo are outraged and talking about a boycott of the nearby Starbucks. Jamie Wong says she generally gets the Sunset drink to go every week. Now, she has to drink it in the store. “It’s not convenient for me to drink my boba in the store because I’m usually on the go. A boba place is a completely different type of place than Starbucks. Nubo & Moo also has a restaurant. This is just Starbucks getting upset because people happen to like getting boba more than their coffee drinks. Believe me, if I wanted caffeine, I wouldn’t go to this Starbucks.”

For their part, Starbucks insists that they are looking out for the best interests of their business and say that Nubo & Moo Moo are totally different businesses. Consequently, Starbucks is taking a hard stance against the Mom & Pop business and also spoke to ABC10. “Starbucks has been a proud member of Calvine Crossing at our 8240 Calvine Road location for more than fifteen years. As with all of our locations, we continually work with our landlords to determine what makes the most sense for our stores, as is the case here.” However, it’s clear that as the larger entity, Starbucks has the power here.

As a patron of Nubo & Moo Moo, I personally hope they stay afloat and figure out a way to serve boba drinks to-go. Either that or maybe they can move to a new location and get their own non-compete clause in their new lease.

Nubo & Moo Moo
8250 Calvine Rd, Ste A
Sacramento, CA 95828
(916) 682-8122

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