At Miyo Bubble Tea Lounge on 10th Street, students are crowded around desktop computers playing League of Legends and sipping bubble tea.
Owner Xin Xu said he opened the business in January to meet the needs of the growing Asian student population.
Since 2011, the number of international students at IU has grown by 19 percent to 8,798 students, according to the IU Office of International Services. Of these students, 4,033 are from East Asia, mostly China and South Korea.
International students now make up about 18 percent of the IU student body, including graduate students.
Xin Xu graduated from IU in 2014. He said he loves Bloomington, and wanted to open a business here.
Xu said he envisioned Miyo as something that didn’t currently exist in Bloomington. He wanted a place where international students could come hang out, eat and play games after class.
Miyo sells bubble tea, smoothies and food.
Most of the customers are Chinese or Korean, Xu said.
“I want to give international students more fun after class and more things you can do after class,” Xu said.
The lounge is an open space with tables where customers can eat and talk. Five desktop computers sit against the wall for customers to play League of Legends, a game Xu said is popular among international students.
Miyo has a good set up for gaming because League of Legends teams are made up of five players, and at the restaurant, friends can all play together on the desktops, Xu said.
Xu said he hopes to open other Miyo locations at college campuses in the future.
Hong Huang, another local business owner, said he also opened his small tea stand, Bapu Teahouse, to cater to the growing Asian population and those looking for high quality bubble tea.
Bapu, located on 10th street, is a bubble tea stand where customers order at an outdoor counter. Huang opened it last summer.
Huang said he chose the location because of the shop size and proximity to campus and his customers.
“We know there’s over 15 or 20 locations that serve bubble tea, but there’s not any places that are good quality,” Huang said. “If you look at most places, the bubble tea is halfway done, waiting in the refrigerator four to eight hours, so that’s what it tastes like.”
Everything is made fresh at Bapu, Huang said. Unlike at other businesses, Bapu employees hand-shake the drinks to give them the best flavor.
The international student population in Bloomington has helped business, Huang said.
“Initially, it drove a big crowd of international people,” Huang said.
Now that the business has been open nearly a year, Bapu has more American customers, Huang said. The customer base is now about 60 percent international and 40 percent American.
Huang said he hopes to continue to grow the business and make the best possible bubble tea for his customers.
“We want to seek to look more adventurous and make things that you don’t see anywhere else,” Huang said.
