Recently, a bubble tea store, Yaaas Tea, and a cafe, Croffle House, have opened in Great Neck. Mr. Wish, a popular bubble tea place, has been in Great Neck for over five years, attracting little kids and adults. Not only does Mr. Wish sell drinks, but it also sells desserts. Customers complain that Mr. Wish continues to increase their prices but they do offer so many options of flavors and additions to the drink. Yaaas Tea offers similar flavors to Mr. Wish, such as passionfruit and milk tea. Yaaas Tea also offers flavors that Mr. Wish is missing, such as coffee, brown sugar, and more.

Junior Nicole Harooni said, “I’ve tried both places but I still like Mr. Wish more. I think I’m just used to Mr. Wish.” Harooni continued, “I didn’t think Yaaas Tea was bad but I just prefer Mr. Wish.”

Croffle House is also a new spot in Great Neck. Croffle is the hybrid of croissant and waffle. The Croffle are croissants cooked in waffle-makers. Not only do they have doughnuts, but they also have pastries and ice cream. The doughnuts are mini-sized, with flavored frosting such as cinnamon flavors, strawberry, and Oreo.

Junior Layla Pourmoradi said, “The doughnuts have a different taste compared to any other doughnut I had. I don’t like the doughnuts, they taste too doughy, and [there’s] not enough frosting.” Pourmoradi continued, “I haven’t tried any other of their pastries.”

Many residents believe that Great Neck has many stores that continuously open and close. Location is a significant factor when opening a store, especially in Great Neck. Yaaas Tea is next to Gino’s Pizza, a popular pizzeria, which can attract customers after they eat pizza. Croffle House is a couple blocks away from Dunkin’ Donuts. Additionally, these stores opened in great locations for their business on Middle Neck Road, as students can easily walk to town after school.

Only time will tell whether these stores are successful in Great Neck and against their competitors.