Bubble tea is one of the easier restaurant concepts to build in the GTA — no fryers, no grease hood, no fire-suppression system overhead. Most bubble tea conversions in plaza units run $80–150k turnkey in 2026 dollars when the previous tenant left a usable food space behind. This guide gives you the cost ranges, the equipment line, and the timeline for opening a Chatime, CoCo, Gong Cha, Sharetea, Real Fruit, or independent bubble tea shop in Toronto, Vaughan, Mississauga, Markham, Richmond Hill, or Brampton.
The number depends almost entirely on what's already in the unit. A 600–1,000 sf plaza space that used to be a cafe or QSR — meaning it already has a three-compartment sink, a hand sink, a mop sink, a grease interceptor, a 200A electrical service, and a barrier-free washroom — is the cheapest restaurant build-out we do. Here is the range you should plan around in 2026 GTA dollars:
These numbers cover construction — drawings, permits, demolition, framing, drywall, paint, flooring, plumbing, electrical, HVAC adjustments, millwork, and finishes. They do not cover your equipment package (tea brewers, sealers, fructose dispensers, ice machine, reach-in cooler), POS, signage, or smallwares. Bubble tea equipment packages typically run $40–80k separately, and franchise brands often source these through their corporate program.
If you want a tight quote rather than a range, the Vaughan, Mississauga, and Toronto restaurant construction team at Buildup will walk your space and give you a fixed number after one site visit. That's also the moment we flag any base-building issues that should land on the landlord, not you — see the lease section below.
Bubble tea has no grease-laden cooking. That means no grease hood, no fire-suppression system over the line, no make-up air system, and no Type K fire system service contract. Removing those systems pulls $50–120k out of a typical kitchen build, which is why the entry point is so much lower than a hotpot or QSR conversion. For a sense of the gap, see our restaurant build-out cost guide for Toronto in 2026, which walks through what each concept type adds.
You still need real plumbing. Bubble tea is a wet operation — sealers, shaker stations, ice, tea brewing, fruit prep — and the city's grease and sewer rules treat it as food service. Floor drains in the service area, a small under-counter grease interceptor sized to your sink and floor-drain flow (the plumbing inspector signs off the size), a hand sink within reach of every food-contact zone, a three-compartment sink for the shakers and small wares, and a mop sink in the back. None of this is exotic, but all of it has to be on the drawings before the city's plan reviewer signs off.
The single biggest taste-and-consistency risk in a GTA bubble tea shop is the water. Toronto and Peel both run hard, chlorinated water — fine for showering, ruinous for jasmine and oolong tea. Build the filtration in from day one:
This is the work we coordinate with the plumber and the franchise's equipment package on every bubble tea job. Get it wrong and you'll be replacing brewers and shavers under warranty for a year.
Most franchise brands prescribe the equipment line down to the inch. The build's job is to give that line the plumbing, power, and cabinetry it needs in the right order, so a drink hits the customer in under 90 seconds.
A typical bubble tea line, customer-side to back-of-house: order/POS — cup pickup — sealer — shaker station — ice/syrup/fructose dispensers — tea brewer — refrigeration. Refrigeration sizing for a 600–1,000 sf shop:
The most common layout mistakes we catch on a site walk: sealer sitting too far from the brewer (staff lose two steps per drink), ice machine in customer sightlines (loud and visually messy), and the POS station blocking the topping bar at peak. We move these around on paper before a single stud goes up.
If you're building for a brand, expect a fit-out package that locks in finishes, lighting, fixtures, and sometimes specific subcontractors:
Your corporate construction manager will send a fit-out manual with approved materials, suppliers, and signage specs. Buildup has worked inside franchise fit-out manuals before (see project experience) — the thing to know is that brand-mandated finishes typically add 10–20% to the construction number versus an independent build at the same square footage.
Three permits cover most bubble tea projects:
You generally won't need a fire-suppression permit — there's no grease hood. You will meet the building inspector at framing and final, the plumbing inspector during rough-in (and again after the grease interceptor goes in), ESA for the electrical sign-off, and the public health inspector before opening day. Permit timelines vary by city — Toronto runs slower than Vaughan or Markham — and we've broken down the GTA restaurant permit timelines city by city so you can pick the right municipality before you sign.
Run this list on every space before you commit. Most bubble tea operators get into trouble in the first two weeks of construction, and 80% of that trouble could have been caught on a site walk.
Q: How much does a bubble tea shop cost to build in Toronto in 2026? A: Plan on $80–150k turnkey for a 600–1,000 sf plaza conversion of a former food unit, $150–250k from bare retail shell, and $200–350k for a premium franchise flagship with custom millwork. These figures exclude equipment, signage, and smallwares.
Q: How long does a bubble tea build-out take? A: Most projects run 5–8 weeks of construction once permits are issued, plus 4–6 weeks of permitting upfront — so 10–14 weeks from lease signing to opening day across most GTA cities. Toronto runs at the longer end; Vaughan, Markham, and Brampton are usually faster.
Q: Do I need a grease hood for bubble tea? A: No. Bubble tea has no grease-laden cooking, so it does not need a grease hood, fire-suppression system, or make-up air system on the order of a full restaurant. If you are adding a hot food item like waffles or fried chicken, the hood question changes — see our grease hood vs vapor hood guide.
Q: What size grease interceptor does a bubble tea shop need? A: Most 600–1,000 sf bubble tea shops install a small under-counter interceptor sized to the three-compartment sink and the floor drains. The plumbing inspector reviews the size against your fixtures and signs it off. Our grease trap sizing guide for Ontario restaurants walks through how the math is done.
Q: Will Buildup work inside Chatime, CoCo, or Gong Cha brand standards? A: Yes — we work to franchise fit-out manuals across the GTA bubble-tea corridor, coordinating with corporate construction managers, brand-approved millworkers, and signage vendors. See project experience for the kinds of restaurant projects we've delivered.
Q: How much should I budget for water filtration? A: A proper carbon pre-filter plus a 100–400 GPD reverse osmosis unit and a sized hot water heater typically lands $4–9k installed in 2026 dollars. Skipping this is the biggest hidden cost in bubble tea — replacement brewers and shavers under hard water cost more in year one.
Q: Can I open a bubble tea shop in a strip plaza without a grease interceptor? A: Not usually. Public health and the plumbing inspector both treat bubble tea as food service, and a three-compartment sink will need an interceptor. If the unit doesn't have one, you'll be coring the slab — confirm with the landlord before signing the lease.
Q: Do I need a sign permit for the storefront? A: Yes — every GTA city we work in requires a sign permit for new storefront signage, separate from the building permit. Plaza landlords also have their own signage criteria you'll need to clear. Our restaurant permits guide for Ontario walks through the full list of approvals.
Q: Can Buildup help me find the right space? A: We don't lease real estate, but we'll walk a shortlist of 2–3 spaces with you before you sign and tell you which one is the cheapest to build. That walk-through is free — see our FAQ page for how the pre-construction process works.
If you're 30–60 days from signing a lease on a bubble tea unit anywhere in Toronto, Mississauga, Vaughan, Markham, Richmond Hill, or Brampton, send the listing or the address. Buildup will walk the space, flag the base-building issues that should land on the landlord, and come back with a fixed turnkey number — not a range. Contact us or call 647-477-7999 to set up the site walk.