What Mixue is
Mixue (蜜雪冰城) is a Chinese tea and dessert chain founded in 1997 in Zhengzhou, Henan. It is the largest F&B chain in the world by store count — over 36,000 outlets globally as of 2025, more than McDonald's. The brand built its empire on a single bet: sell the cheapest bubble tea, ice cream, and lemon water on the market, and make it up on volume.
In Malaysia, Mixue entered in 2020 and has since become one of the most visible beverage brands on the high street, especially in Klang Valley, Penang, and Johor Bahru. Most outlets are small (200-400 sq ft), focused, and almost always busy.
Real cost to open a Mixue franchise in Malaysia
Mixue's pitch is that the entry cost is much lower than competitors. The real numbers (industry estimate, not a quote from Mixue Malaysia):
- Initial franchise fee: RM 30,000 - 50,000 (varies by outlet size and location) - Fit-out + equipment: RM 80,000 - 150,000 - First-year rent + utilities + working capital: RM 100,000 - 200,000 - Total realistic cash required: RM 250,000 - 450,000
That total is genuinely below Chatime, Tiger Sugar, or Coffeebeen, which is the point. The lower entry cost is the main reason owners choose Mixue.
What the ongoing fees look like
- Royalty: ~5% of gross revenue - Marketing fund: ~2% of gross revenue - Supply chain: must purchase cups, syrups, and ingredients from Mixue-approved suppliers (this is where Mixue makes its real money — the margin on supplies is high) - Term: typically 5 years, renewable
What owners actually say
The honest range of owner experiences:
- Best case: a busy mall or transit-adjacent location can clear RM 25,000-40,000/month in gross sales. After rent, staff, supplies, and the ~7% to Mixue, net operating income is often RM 5,000-12,000/month for the first 12-18 months. Modest, but not bad for a small operation. - Average case: suburban locations with weaker foot traffic can gross RM 15,000-20,000/month. After the same costs, the owner is often clearing RM 2,000-5,000/month — which is below what a salary manager at a similar business would earn. - Worst case: locations in already-saturated areas compete with 2-3 other Mixue outlets within walking distance. Sales can fall below RM 12,000/month, the owner works 12-hour days, and the business doesn't break even.
The pattern is consistent across the F&B-franchise world: location is destiny, and the brand's reputation doesn't make a bad location good.
The honest case for and against
For: - Lowest entry cost among major bubble tea brands in Malaysia - Strong brand recognition (especially with younger customers) - Centralised supply chain removes the headache of sourcing ingredients - High foot traffic in the right location
Against: - Razor-thin product margins by design — you're selling a RM 4 drink, not a RM 12 one - Heavy saturation in Klang Valley — many territories are already taken - Limited menu flexibility (Mixue controls the products tightly) - Owner works the outlet, not runs it — the moment you hire a manager, margins collapse
If you want the upside of Mixue but with your own brand
A Mixue franchise is a decent way to make RM 5,000-10,000/month if you have a strong location and don't mind working it yourself. The catch is that the upside is capped — the brand decides the products, the pricing, the suppliers, and the marketing. You get the brand's foot traffic in exchange for most of the margin.
If you want the same kind of small-footprint, high-traffic business but with a brand you actually own, that's a different build:
- A custom POS + ordering app that handles the queue without a manager - A small AI concierge that handles WhatsApp orders and FAQs - A simple inventory + supplier system that keeps your margin visible
That's a [custom build our team does](/ai-agency-malaysia) — typically RM 8,000-25,000 depending on scope, not RM 300,000. And then you can list your business on [pitchdeck.my](/browse) to raise growth capital, or [submit your own listing](/submit) and keep 100% of the upside.
This page is informational and is not affiliated with Mixue. Mixue is a trademark of its parent company. All cost figures are industry estimates as of 2026, not quotes from the franchisor.