Crunchtime’s Ops Excellence Awards recognize those who have raised the bar in the industry. Each year, that bar of excellence keeps getting higher and higher, largely in part due to the amazing caliber of submissions we received from our incredible customer base.
With an impressive slate of nominations, narrowing the field was no easy task. Among all of the submissions, five brands stood out the most and earned their spot as finalists:
- Alamo Drafthouse Cinema
- Gong cha
- MSC Cruises
In this series, we’ll take a closer look at each finalist’s story and achievements.
2026 Ops Excellence Award Finalist: Gong cha
As one of the world's fastest-growing tea brands, Gong cha understands that sustainable growth depends on operational discipline. With ambitious expansion plans underway across the Americas, the brand has focused on the systems, accountability, and consistency needed to ensure every guest experience lives up to its promise to inspire the human spirit and create happiness with a perfect cup of tea.
Brand Snapshot
Founded in Taiwan in 2006, Gong cha was built on a commitment to serving the highest-quality tea. Today, the brand operates more than 2,200 locations across 33 markets worldwide, including more than 238 U.S. stores spanning 20 states.
Its dedication to quality and consistency has earned significant industry recognition, including ranking as Entrepreneur's number one tea category franchise for five consecutive years and receiving the 2025 Global Franchise Award for Best Food & Drink Franchise.
As Gong cha works toward its goal of reaching 1,000 stores across the Americas, the company remains focused on scaling with intention.
Commitment to Operational Excellence
At Gong cha, operational excellence isn't viewed as a temporary endeavor; it's the foundation of how the organization operates every day. The brand defines operational excellence as building consistency, care, and continuous improvement into every store while creating an environment where franchisees can prosper and grow with confidence.
"At Gong cha, operational excellence isn't just an initiative; it's built into how we run the business every day, powered in part by Crunchtime Ops Execution," said Rebecca Kahn, Senior Director of Master Franchising Operations for North America.
That philosophy extends beyond simply following standards. The organization strives to create a system where every store, every team member, and every guest experience reflects the same high standard every day. Rebecca explained, "To make that promise real at 460+ stores, we needed more than standards; we needed structure."
Operational Challenges
As Gong cha expanded its footprint across North America, maintaining consistency across a rapidly growing franchise system became increasingly complex.
Communication across stores wasn't always seamless, and execution varied from location to location. Limited-time offer launches lacked consistency, field routines differed across markets, and leaders needed greater visibility into store performance, new store openings, and brand standards.
The organization needed a way to:
- Improve communication across franchisees and store managers
- Standardize operational execution across markets
- Increase visibility into field performance and store conditions
- Support consistent onboarding and training experiences
- Create accountability around food safety and operational tasks
- Ensure new stores open according to approved brand standards
- Build the operational discipline necessary to support long-term growth
The Solution for Smarter Operations
For Gong cha, Crunchtime provides the operational structure needed to transform its brand expectations into repeatable behaviors across its growing franchise network.
Using Crunchtime Ops Execution, Gong cha has established real-time operational visibility across the business through automated temperature logs, structured store visits, task management, and readiness assessments.
"Before Gong cha implemented Crunchtime, communication across stores felt like a game of telephone; messages would get distorted along the way," Rebecca explained. "Now, we can communicate directly and consistently with store managers and franchisees."
Using Crunchtime has also strengthened Gong cha’s field leadership routines by enabling targeted performance reporting, structured follow-up assignments, and actionable visit recaps that drive accountability at the store level.
Crunchtime has become especially valuable in supporting new restaurant development.
"We use Crunchtime Ops Execution at Gong cha to support new store openings, from readiness visits to validating that each location meets approved design standards, giving us real-time visibility into new store builds to help ensure every location reflects the standard we expect across the system," Rebecca said.
Gong cha also leveraged Crunchtime to address inconsistencies with limited-time offer launches.
Rebecca added, "We were dealing with complete chaos around LTO readiness, stores launching weeks apart, some early, some late, with no consistency. It simply wasn't sustainable. So we introduced LTO readiness forms with Crunchtime Ops Execution, and the impact was immediate. Managers embraced them, and within a single LTO cycle, we reduced that gap to just three days. It was a remarkable transformation."
Beyond day-to-day operations, Gong cha has found innovative ways to use Crunchtime to strengthen franchise engagement.
"We're using Crunchtime Ops Execution to elect franchisees to the franchise council. Franchisees can go into the system and vote for their peers," Rebecca noted.
Recognizing that consistency begins with well-prepared teams, Gong cha also uses Crunchtime to support onboarding, reinforce operational expectations, and build confidence across markets.
By connecting the "why" behind operational standards with the "how" of daily execution, Crunchtime helps Gong cha ensure that team members understand not only what is expected, but why those expectations matter to the guest experience.
This consistent approach to training enables Gong cha to scale while preserving the quality and care that define the brand.
As Gong cha continues expanding across the Americas, the organization relies on Crunchtime's Platinum Support team to help optimize its operational systems and sustain momentum through periods of growth and change.
The partnership has enabled Gong cha to continually refine its processes while maintaining the high standards expected across its franchise network.
Results Worth Celebrating
Gong cha's investment in operational discipline has translated into measurable business results. One of the brand's lowest-performing franchisees transformed into a top-three operator within just 90 days.
Additional outcomes included:
- CUPS guest satisfaction score of 9.32 out of 10
- 25% increase in guest return visits
- 85% task completion rates across the system
- 80% year-to-date temperature log compliance
- Net Promoter Score of 83
These results demonstrate the direct connection between disciplined execution and guest loyalty. When expectations are clear, teams are supported, and leaders have access to real-time insights, operational excellence becomes something guests can feel in every interaction.
“To make that promise of 460+ stores, we realized something important: standards weren't just enough. We needed structure, and that's what we got from Crunchtime.” Rebecca concluded.
Consistent Excellence in a Fast-Moving World
Gong cha's story demonstrates that operational excellence isn't about creating more checklists; it's about building systems that enable consistency, accountability, and continuous improvement.
By prioritizing discipline before rapid expansion, the brand has established a strong operational foundation capable of supporting its ambitious growth goals.
As Gong cha continues its growth journey, its focus remains clear: ensuring that every guest experiences the same quality, care, and confidence in every cup. And with the right operational systems in place, Gong cha is proving that excellence at scale isn't just possible, it's sustainable.
To see how Gong cha uses Crunchtime Ops Execution to deliver quality at scale, watch the video below:
Ops Excellence Awards winners are voted on live by all Ops Summit attendees. Click here to learn more.
