New York City, New York
Running a bubble tea shop in NYC? Know how many drinks pay for today.
Free. No sign-up.
Labor is set to the $17 New York City minimum wage: two people for 8 hours is $272.00. The $7 average sale is only an example. Change any number.
Rent, insurance, subscriptions, loan payments
What you pay staff on a normal day
What one customer spends, on average
Food and drink cost as a % of the check
30 = open every day. 26 = closed one day a week. 22 = closed two.
Customers to break even today
150 customers
That is $1,050 in sales.
Your costs today$734
$462 fixed + $272 labor
Each customer contributes
$4.90
What is left after cost of goods
We divide your monthly fixed costs by the 26 days you open. Then we add one day of labor cost. Each customer covers only what is left after cost of goods. That is why the number is higher than your costs divided by the average sale.
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The free fix
The free fix, from KANJIN (kanjin.app), a digital stamp card and back office for small shops: Free break-even tracker.
Know each day if the shop covered its costs
Type the figures from the calculator above into the free back office once. Each day's sales then show whether the shop made its target. Print the page and tape it by the back door, so every shift knows the number.
Free plan, no time limit. No card needed.
Short answer
How many drinks does my NYC bubble tea shop need to sell each day to cover its costs?
Add up one day of rent and wages, divide it by what each drink leaves after tea, milk, pearls and the cup, and round up. At the $17 New York City minimum wage, two people on an 8-hour shift cost $272.00 before the first drink is sealed.
Count drinks, not dollars
A number of drinks is an easy daily target. You can count it at the register as the day goes on.
Your rent, the sealer, the fridge and the people on the schedule cost the same on a cold Monday and a hot Saturday.
Type your own rent, wages and average sale into the calculator above. The answer is how many drinks cover the day.
Know what one drink really leaves
A drink is more than tea. Add the milk, the sugar, the pearls or jelly, the cup, the film and the straw.
Take that cost away from the price before tax. What is left pays the rent and the wages.
A topping that costs you more than you charge for it makes the target go up, not down.
Keep sales tax out of the number
In New York State, food and drink sold by restaurants is taxable. In New York City, the combined state and local rate is 8.875%.
That tax is not yours to spend. Use your sales before tax when you compare them with your costs. Count tips apart too.
Check the number every day
A target you worked out once and then forgot does not help on a slow afternoon.
The free break-even tracker keeps your target with your shop. Each day's sales show whether you made it. Print it and tape it by the back door for every shift.
How to work out your bubble tea shop's daily break-even
- Add up one day of fixed costs.
Take your monthly rent, insurance and bills, and divide by the days you open.
- Add the day's wages.
Hours on the schedule times the hourly pay. In New York City that is at least $17 an hour.
- Find what one drink leaves.
Your average sale before sales tax, minus the tea, milk, toppings, cup, film and straw.
- Divide and round up.
The day's costs divided by what one drink leaves. That is how many drinks you need to cover the day.
The local numbers, with sources
- New York City minimum wage
- $17.00 an hour, and still $17.00 on January 1, 2027
- Source: New York State Department of Labor, Minimum Wage, checked 2026-11-08.
- New York City sales tax rate
- 8.875% combined state and local rate
- Source: NYS Department of Taxation and Finance, Publication 718 (effective March 1, 2025), checked 2026-11-08.
- Restaurant drinks and sales tax
- Restaurant food and drink is listed as taxable in New York State
- Source: NYS Department of Taxation and Finance, Quick reference guide for taxable and exempt property and services, checked 2026-11-08.
Common questions
What is the minimum wage in New York City now?
$17.00 an hour. The New York State Department of Labor says it stays $17.00 on January 1, 2027.
Do I charge sales tax on bubble tea in NYC?
New York State lists restaurant food and drink as taxable. The combined state and local sales tax rate in New York City is 8.875%. Check your own items with the Department of Taxation and Finance.
How do I work out how many drinks I need to sell?
Divide one day of fixed costs and wages by what one average drink leaves after ingredients and the cup. Round up. That is how many drinks you need each day.
Does the break-even tracker cost anything?
No. It is part of the free KANJIN back office, with no time limit. Type your costs once, and your target is there each time you sign in, on any device.
Do it for your own shop, free
Set your daily target once. Each day’s sales show whether you made it.
Type each day’s sales and supplier costs, and see how the week went in one chart.