(Marci Griffiths | Photo by Jeff Spry)
Boba Tea, or Bubble Tea, is back in style in a big way and true believers in this popular sweetened tea-based milk beverage topped with floating tapioca pearls are flocking to Marci Griffiths’ Boba Tea Bend cart at Elevation Bend on South Hwy. 97 to satisfy their cravings.
Originating in Taiwan in the 1980s, the Boba Tea craze has recently gone global, especially here in the United States. The fun fad has flourished and faded over the decades after migrating from Asian countries in the late ‘90s to become a fixture of American culture in shopping malls, food courts, nightlife areas, county fairs, theme parks and entertainment centers.
Griffiths is a longtime Bend music teacher at Silver Rail Elementary School who recently became a small business owner in March of 2026, balancing life in and out of the classroom while she and her husband Donny pursue this Boba Tea enterprise serving a thirsty community.
“I started as a music teacher in Oregon at Bear Creek Elementary and before that I was an educational assistant working with kids with developmental needs,” she tells CBN. “I was also a music, art, PE, and kindergarten teacher in Nevada for three years. I love being at Silver Rail and being able to build a music program for the last two years. We started with very few instruments, so it’s been a lot of grant writing and working with the Bend-La Pine Education Foundation. And members of the community have reached out with instruments so we can build a new program at the school. Music budgets for elementary teachers are $450 a year, so it’s important we have so many wonderful people helping sustain, aid and protect the arts.”
Griffith and her husband, the floor supervisor at ISCO Manufacturing for the past 19 years, had always entertained the idea of having a local food truck. They were acquainted with the previous owners of the Boba Tea business, who’d been operating for the past five years at the same location, previously known as the Bend Factory Stores and were moving out of the area.
“We talked about it for about six months and all of a sudden the universe made it possible and the help and funding came through with community partners such as Onpoint Community Credit Union,” Griffith explains. “So, when the universe gives you a gift, you take a chance and say yes. Now this has turned into a pathway to a more solid financial future for us. It’s been so amazing to have this small business where we see members of the community. Either students, teacher friends, or people I’ve met who I’ve built relationships with that come to our truck to say hi and get their drink.”
As with any independent endeavor, there are the obvious challenges and obstacles that go hand-in-hand with the innumerable rewards.
“It is a small business and we both have other full-time jobs,” Griffiths adds. “It does require maintenance, upkeep, funding, capital, and employees. So we have to have employees here to help us maintain the business while we work our other jobs. That balance is one of the hardest parts. The best part is the people we’ve met through the business. We meet friends every single day. And people are now following us on Instagram. You can get your Boba anywhere of course but we just got named Bend Source Weekly’s Best Boba of 2026 and we’re really proud of that.”
Translated, Boba means bubble in Taiwanese and the Boba Tea trend has quickly picked up over the past couple of years. The coated tapioca balls are the most popular but customers can also choose from alternate toppings to suit their preferences. For non-Boba folks, Griffiths serves flavored lemonades, energy drinks, or Boba beverages cold or hot, with or without tea.
“We also offer poppers, which are coconut, mango, watermelon and strawberry juice balls that pop in your mouth. And we have lychee jellies and rainbow jellies that have different textures and flavors. Our Boba Tea is non-dairy-based with various flavors, using black tea or green tea and a non-dairy creamer product. Fruit teas are green tea-based with pieces of real fruit. Our most popular flavors are Thai Milk Tea, a gently spiced citrus flavor, and our Classic Milk Tea, if you think of a black tea with creamer and milk. Mango and peach are probably the favorites.”
Looking into the future, Griffiths would like to expand and add a second truck as Elevation Bend does not have power hookups, which requires Boba Tea Bend to run a generator non-stop.
“We’re now going to be doing events and we just catered our first wedding and that was wonderful. We even catered a baseball tournament as a little pop-up and tomorrow we’re doing Journey Church at Drake Park so we’ll take the full trailer with us. We’re learning a lot as new business owners and fingers crossed that second truck on the north side happens next year.”
Boba Tea Bend is located at 61334 South Hwy. 97 at the Elevation Bend parking lot.
bobateabend.com • 541-350-5987
