BJ Milkytea hires hearing-impaired staff to serve bubble tea via hole-in-the-wall concept

My answer to any and all invitations to get bubble tea will always be met with a resounding yes. I’ve taken it upon myself to try as many different bubble tea brands as possible, and in this highly saturated field, there will always be options aplenty. It feels like a long time has passed since my last visit to BJ Milkytea, an adorable stall in the heart of Tanjong Pagar Plaza that serves you your bubble tea order via a furry bear hand that sticks out of a hole in the wall.

Any passerby wouldn’t immediately connect the dots if they were just walking past, simply because this stall looks so different from your regular bubble tea kiosks, and that’s exactly what makes BJ Milkytea such a hidden gem. This adorable implementation has presented another perk: BJ Milkytea is able to hire deaf or hearing-impaired staff to prepare delicious cups of bubble tea.

You can even call it an ingenious—and certainly inclusive—way to ensure social distancing, with the only interaction limited to a hand sticking out of the faux brick wall with your bubble tea.

I remember their Lucky Bear (S$4.60) being one of my favourite drinks—with a light and refreshing combination of roselle syrup, sour plum juice and aloe vera jelly topping. Another signature menu item that I underestimated was their Bloody Bear (S$3.60), which is essentially the well-loved pulut hitam dessert in drink form, with black glutinous rice mixed with milk tea to give you a special fusion-dessert drink that’s one of a kind.

They also have fail-safe favourites such as Brown Sugar Fresh Milk (S$4.80), or Earl Grey Tea (S$2.60) for those who want to stick with a combination they know will work. Grab a friend, or five, and take your trip down to get a beary cute cup of bubble tea, because BJ Milkytea is currently offering a promotion where customers who buy six cups of bubble tea can get a free tote bag.

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