A Chinese milk tea chain with roots in Xi’an is setting up shop near Ohio State, marking its first-ever Central Ohio location. ChaHalo plans to open the storefront in mid-December, with the shop situated near The Ohio State University, though no exact address has been shared.
The news comes from the brand’s own Instagram account, which announced that ChaHalo is coming to Central Ohio, according to 614NOW. The storefront’s own Instagram account specified the near-campus location, though 614NOW reports that an exact address wasn’t shared, and the chain plans to open in mid-December this year, per the same outlet.
ChaHalo was founded in Xi’an, China, in 2016, and the brand has built its identity around combining traditional Chinese teas and brewing methods with contemporary flavors, 614NOW reports. Flavors spotted at other U.S. locations include roasted oolong milk tea, jasmine lemon green tea, and a black milk tea frappe, according to Community Impact.
A Global Chain With Conflicting Numbers
Just how big is ChaHalo? That depends on who you ask. 614NOW reports the chain currently operates over 1,000 stores in China, while the company’s own website states it operates nearly 1,000 stores across more than 170 cities there — and separately describes itself as a global brand of over 1,000 stores worldwide. Either way, it’s a sprawling operation that has expanded into the United Kingdom, Australia, and North America, per the station’s report.
ChaHalo has expanded across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia, with New Zealand locations planned. California is a key U.S. growth market for the chain, while Texas is an emerging one.
ChaHalo’s U.S. Expansion
Elsewhere, ChaHalo’s U.S. rollout has moved quickly over the past year. Its first California store opened in October 2025, reportedly notching a single-store monthly sales figure exceeding 1.2 million RMB, according to the company’s own timeline. A flagship store opened in Flushing, New York, that December, and the brand signed a lease for its first Maryland location at Research Row in Rockville, a planned 1,830-square-foot shop at 1403A1 Research Boulevard, according to MoCoShow.
Texas got its first taste of the chain more recently. ChaHalo opened its first North Texas location in Plano on August 21, according to the store’s owner, as reported by The Dallas Morning News, officially becoming the company’s sixth U.S. location at 6809 N. Central Expressway, Suite 500, per Plano Magazine. That outlet notes the shop ran buy-one-get-one 50% off promotions during its soft opening. By September, ChaHalo had two Texas locations, including the Plano shop and a Houston location that opened in July, according to Community Impact.
Back in Xi’an, the brand’s roots stretch even further: ChaHalo’s first overseas store opened in North York, Canada, in 2023, the earliest stop on a journey that has since carried the chain’s roasted oolongs and fruit teas across three continents — and soon, to the edge of Ohio State’s campus.
