BoBabes Bubble Tea, Noodles & Co. and Jersey Mike's set opening dates

Happy Tuesday and welcome to the Streetwise newsletter!

Have you tried boba? It's also called bubble tea, and it's a Taiwanese tea drink made with chewy and sweet tapioca starch pearls that sit at the bottom of the drink. You can find it at BoBabes Bubble Tea , a café that recently opened at the former Cousins Subs on Division Street in Stevens Point.

I recently talked with the owners about Taiwanese culture and the tradition and ceremony surrounding tea. You can find authentic tea-based drinks, choosing from trending drinks or creating your own. There are also lemonades, smoothies and baked treats.

It's been a long wait, but Noodles & Co. will open next month in Wisconsin Rapids. A company spokesperson recently told me the new location is scheduled to open July 24 at 2001 Eighth St. S. in Wisconsin Rapids.

We're getting closer to the opening of the new Jersey Mike's in Plover , as well. The restaurant is set to open July 10 at 176 Crossroads Drive in Plover.

Did you see the Chick-fil-A Tri-State Food Truck in Wisconsin Rapids last week? The truck that offers a menu of Chick-fil-A favorites made its first stop in Wisconsin Rapids Thursday. The food truck launched in January 2023 and visits communities in Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin that don't have a Chick-fil-A restaurant nearby.

I also recently shared some Streetwise business updates in Stevens Point . Mama Elda's is open again with new owners, Emy J's launched its summer hours in downtown Stevens Point and Park Ridge, and Purple Basil now offers Mission Coffee cold brew at Purple Basil Terrace in Plover.

A couple of weeks ago, the governor's office and local convention and visitors bureaus released 2023 data on tourism both in local areas and across the state. Wisconsin as a whole brought it $25 billion in tourism last year, breaking the 2022 record of $23.7 billion. Stevens Point and Plover area convention and visitors bureaus shared Portage County's role in those records, as well. Tourists brought in $258.3 million to Portage County last year, increasing 5.2% since 2022.

Sara Brish, the executive director of the Stevens Point Area Convention & Visitors Bureau, who has helped grow local tourism throughout the area for the last 25 years, recently announced she's leaving the CVB . Brish is taking a new role as the program manager for the Wisconsin Department of Tourism/Travel Wisconsin's Office of Group Travel.

It's a season of changes for Stevens Point area organizations. After Kevin Quevillon announced earlier this month he would step down as CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of Portage County for a new regional position, the organization announced it appointed Danielle Belsky as its new CEO .

If you have any questions or tips for future stories, send them my way at cshuda@gannett.com . If you’re interested in my colleagues’ or my coverage, please consider subscribing to the Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune or the Stevens Point Journal.

Who is Streetwise?

I’m Caitlin Shuda, the Streetwise reporter for the Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune and the Stevens Point Journal . If you’re interested in openings, closings, relocations, expansions and major developments, Streetwise has it covered.

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This article originally appeared on Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune: BoBabes Bubble Tea, Noodles & Co. and Jersey Mike's set opening dates