Molly Tea Hits 3,000 Stores: BOGO Deal Sparks 1,000-Cup Queues
Molly Tea just opened its 3,000th store. Celebrating it turned out to be harder than expected.
On Saturday, October 18, 2026, the Chinese jasmine tea chain launched a three-day buy one, get one free deal across China to mark the milestone. Within hours, stores in several cities were buried in orders. One shop in Guangzhou had 1,002 cups in production by late morning. Others paused online ordering, and some staff began telling customers not to order at all.
Here’s what happened, and whether the deal reaches Molly Tea stores outside China.
By the numbers
- 3,000: stores Molly Tea now operates in China, after opening its 3,000th on October 18
- 1,002: cups in production at one Guangzhou store at 11:30am
- 707: orders at one store within about two hours of opening at 9am
- 900+: cups queued at a Shenzhen store
- 3+ hours: reported wait times at some locations
- October 18–20: the BOGO deal’s three-day window
What Was the Deal?
Molly Tea, known in China as 茉莉奶白 (Mòlì Nǎibái), ran the offer through its WeChat mini program, according to Chinese consumer site SMZDM and China.com.
- Dates: October 18 to 20, 2026
- Coupons: claimed in advance, from October 15 to 17
- How it worked: order two medium drinks through the mini program, and the cheaper one is free
- Ordering: dine-in or pickup only
- Excluded: stores that opened between October 16 and 18
The deal covered eight drinks from the brand’s “must-drink” list:
- Jasmine Milk Tea (the signature)
- Gardenia Milk Tea
- White Champaca Milk Tea
- Pistachio Jasmine Coconut
- Needle King Grape
- Needle King Apple
- Matcha White Champaca
- Apple & Olive, a new limited drink launched for the anniversary
SMZDM also reported that each customer could claim up to 100 coupons. That detail helps explain what happened next.
How the Day Unfolded
9am: Stores opened, and orders started flooding in through the mini program.
Around 10am: In Wuhan, several stores had already taken hundreds of orders. A China.com reporter who called one store was told the queue had passed 130 orders. Some shops showed a “busy” message within an hour of opening.
10:53am: Some stores in Wuhan and Nanchang showed as closed for online orders. One location that opened at 9am had already received 707 orders. Staff said online ordering would likely reopen only after about half of those were made.
11:30am: A store in Guangzhou showed 1,002 cups in production.
Afternoon: Reports came in from Shenzhen, Nanjing, Xi’an and Taiyuan. A Nanjing store had more than 500 pending orders, with about three hours needed just to start making them. In Shenzhen, more than 900 cups were in the queue. One staff member warned that a drink ordered in the afternoon “probably won’t arrive until evening.”
Store notices told customers: “Due to too many orders at this store, we have to pause online ordering.” Staff described it as a system limit, not a crash.
“Too Busy”: Staff Turn Customers Away
The most surprising part was the response from staff. Instead of encouraging orders, workers at some locations started advising customers not to order.
Social media filled with complaints. One customer reported waiting more than an hour with over 100 cups ahead in line. Another said they waited four hours. Some people with unused coupons tried to sell them cheaply or ordered for other people instead.
As of Saturday evening, Molly Tea had not issued a brand-wide statement, according to SMZDM. The only official messages were store-level “busy” notices.
Is the BOGO Deal Available in the US or Singapore?
No. The 3,000-store promotion ran through Molly Tea’s Chinese WeChat mini program, and reports describe it only at stores in mainland China. None of the reports mention stores in the US, Singapore, Australia, Canada or the UK.
If you’re outside China, don’t expect the same coupon at your local Molly Tea. International stores run their own promotions, usually tied to new store openings. In October alone, Molly Tea held opening deals in Singapore, Seattle and New Jersey.
How Fast Is Molly Tea Growing?
Very fast. Chinese retail data site Winshang reported that Molly Tea had about 2,300 stores worldwide in February 2026. Reaching 3,000 in China by mid-October means hundreds of new stores in just eight months.
The brand was founded in Shenzhen and now has stores across China, plus a growing international network that includes the US, Singapore, Canada, Australia and the UK.
The rush also comes during a busy year for the brand. In June, a court in Suzhou ruled that Molly Tea had infringed Louis Vuitton’s trademarks and ordered it to pay 10.3 million yuan. Founder Zhang Bocheng said the company would appeal.
The Bottom Line
Molly Tea’s 3,000th store should have been a simple celebration. Instead, it showed how much demand the brand still has. Cheap drinks, a hit menu and up to 100 coupons per person were enough to overwhelm stores across China in a single morning.
The deal runs until October 20. If you’re in China and holding coupons, the advice from local reports is simple: order off-peak, or check the queue in person before you wait.
FAQs
- How many stores does Molly Tea have?
Molly Tea opened its 3,000th store in China on October 18, 2026. - What was Molly Tea’s 3,000-store deal?
A buy one, get one free offer on eight drinks, from October 18 to 20, 2026, through its WeChat mini program in China. - Why did Molly Tea stores stop taking orders?
Orders surged far past capacity. Some stores had hundreds of cups queued, so they paused online ordering until they caught up. - Is the deal available at Molly Tea in the US?
No. Reports describe the promotion only at stores in mainland China. - What is Molly Tea’s new Apple & Olive drink?
A limited drink launched for the 3,000-store anniversary in China. Its availability outside China hasn’t been announced.
