Gong cha enters the UAE as part of regional franchise expansion

Bubble tea brand Gong cha has entered the UAE market, according to a World Coffee Portal report published on 29 October 2026, marking another step in its Middle East expansion with Shahia Foods Group. The move follows earlier plans to enter the UAE in 2025 and comes as the brand’s regional rollout proceeds more slowly than expected.

UAE entry follows regional franchise agreement

The expansion dates back to January 2024, when Gong cha signed a master franchise agreement with Shahia Foods Group, a Dunkin’ licensee. The brand described the deal at the time as the largest in its history, with plans to open hundreds of stores across the Middle East. Its UAE entry is therefore part of a regional expansion programme, rather than a standalone move separate from its strategy for the region.

Seven months after signing the agreement, Gong cha entered Riyadh. It subsequently outlined plans to launch in Bahrain and the UAE during 2025, as part of a longer-term target of opening at least 300 outlets across the region. The October 2026 report places its UAE entry later than the date targeted in those plans.

This sequence matters: the agreement came before entry into Saudi Arabia, followed by announcements of the next target markets and, eventually, the reported UAE launch. These are distinct stages and should not be treated as a single measure of progress. Contractual rights and rollout plans do not mean that all the planned outlets are already operating.

Big ambitions, but a slower-than-expected rollout

According to World Coffee Portal, Gong cha’s regional growth has been slower than expected, with 12 outlets open in Saudi Arabia at the time of the report. This figure provides a specific picture of its Saudi presence, but it is not a count of its UAE network and should not be treated as a confirmed total for all its regional outlets.

Likewise, the target of at least 300 outlets applies to the region over the longer term, not to the UAE alone. Keeping these geographical scopes separate is essential when assessing the brand’s prospects: entering the UAE broadens its geographical presence, while the scale of its local rollout remains a separate question from the ambitions of the regional agreement.

Entering a new market does not change the fact that the rollout is taking place in stages. The news carries two parallel messages for the franchise community: tangible progress through the addition of the UAE, and a clear gap between the scale of the stated ambitions and the pace of store openings recorded in Saudi Arabia. That comparison alone is not enough to judge store profitability or the partnership’s performance.

The Middle East within a broader global plan

The report identifies the Middle East as an important part of Gong cha’s plans to quadruple its global footprint over the following five years. Viewed in this context, the agreement with Shahia Foods Group provides a means of expanding across the region within a broader global growth strategy, while the UAE launch adds another market to that programme.

However, like the regional target, the global plan remains a growth objective rather than an achieved result. Understanding the news therefore requires a distinction between three levels: the brand’s planned global expansion, a franchise agreement underpinning its regional ambitions, and actual entry into the UAE market. Each has its own significance, and none removes the need to monitor progress on the others.

This highlights the importance of assessing news about incoming brands through the lens of delivery, rather than headline figures alone. The UAE launch is a tangible development, but estimating the business it could generate requires operating indicators specific to that market, rather than automatically applying regional targets to it.

What matters to the UAE franchise community?

For the UAE franchise community, Gong cha’s entry illustrates how a regional partnership can move from a signed agreement to a presence in multiple markets. It also underlines the need to review announced timelines as the rollout progresses: the earlier plan targeted the UAE in 2025, while the report of its entry appeared in October 2026.

When assessing similar opportunities, investors should ask about the geographical scope of the rights, which openings have been completed and which remain in the planning stage. These are questions for evaluating any franchise opportunity, not conclusions about the terms of Gong cha’s agreement. Nor does the existence of a master franchise agreement necessarily mean that individual franchise opportunities are available to every investor.

The practical takeaway is to view Gong cha’s UAE entry as a concrete step in a regional rollout, while keeping existing outlets distinct from future targets. When considering an opportunity involving a brand entering a new market, verify the rights available, the opening schedule and local operating requirements before making an investment decision.