Student baristas get boba bliss at Happy Lemon
Part-time student employees at Happy Lemon Premier share experiences making drinks, working as a team, and karaoke-ing in the store
Left to right: Gavin Wang (’23), Rachel Chung (’24), and Suhani Chheda (’25) present a matcha egg puff straight out of the waffle machine.
Whenever Emily Li (‘23) strolls into Happy Lemon Premier to start her work shift, she always relishes the sweet scent of brown sugar, fruit, and boba toppings in the air. As she takes orders and whips up drinks, she loves being surrounded by fresh tea and delicious food.
Li is one of many Amador Valley students who work part-time as cashiers and baristas at Happy Lemon Premier. Located at the Pacific Pearl Plaza in Pleasanton, the store makes for a popular destination not just for friends hanging out, but also for high school students eager to find work.
Shirley Fukuda (‘24) first saw a job listing for Happy Lemon on a school website, and was drawn to the store by her love for boba. The store was also one of the few places that would hire 14 year olds.
For tea brewer and drink barista Gavin Wang (‘23), after he left his job at Quickly Boba, he chose to work at Happy Lemon for its delicious boba and quick hiring process.
“My most memorable experience was probably learning how to make all the milk teas and boba from the store owner, because he does everything super fast and he inspires me to do the same,” said Wang.
Upon Fukuda’s encouragement, Suhani Chheda (‘25) recently decided to join the Happy Lemon barista team, and has since grown to love boba.
“Here, we have a lot of different flavors that I’ve literally never heard of, and I had no idea that salted cheese was even a thing. I tried it and it tasted so good, especially (when combined) with the cool or cold drinks,” said Chheda.
By working in the service industry, Li learned to not take things personally and give impatient or demanding customers the benefit of the doubt.
“Many customers are very understanding when we make mistakes or when they have to wait longer for their order at rush hours. When you do have customers who are the opposite, I (try to think) that they’ve had a bad day or they’re in a big rush somewhere, instead of (myself) becoming angry as well, which would solve nothing,” said Li.
At Happy Lemon, student workers learn to collaborate in a team they didn’t choose, often finding new, unexpected friendships that, otherwise, would not have been formed in school.
“The best part about working at Happy Lemon was meeting all new people, especially since I just moved here from New Jersey,” said Chheda. “I’m stuck with (my coworkers) for five hours a day, so we inevitably get closer and become friends.”
With a regular team of over 12 high school employees, coworkers must figure out how to adapt to different, and sometimes clashing, personalities and working styles to efficiently fulfill customer orders.
“I used to think that people had to have the same work style as me for us to effectively work together, but, in reality, that isn’t practical. Now, I know to let go of that and compromise with each other instead to coordinate properly as a team,” said Li.
Even when DoorDash orders print out at rapid fire and hungry customers surge in the store, Amador’s boba baristas still manage to find laughter and fun in the chaos. Ultimately, it’s the people, not the drinks, that make the Happy Lemon experience sweetest.
“My favorite memory was a weekday during the Christmas season, when our manager wasn’t there, and our store was playing Christmas songs,” said Fukuda. “My coworkers Ava, Rachel, and I started screaming “All I Want For Christmas Is You” at the top of our lungs. Because our store’s connected to the next door Ranch 99, everyone turned their heads to look at us. We did it again the next Friday.”
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One employee always remains at the order counter and cash register in the front to take orders from customers. An equipped speaker and microphone allows for faster and clearer communication between the employee and customer.
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Next, another employee adds the appropriate toppings to each drink cup, also scooping in any extra toppings customers asked for. Favorite toppings at Happy Lemon Premier include: boba, lychee jelly, grass jelly, and salt and cheese.
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At the barista mixing station, another employee uses a shaker to combine the necessary ingredients and then pours the drink into the cup.
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The drink is placed in one of two sealing machines on the side.
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Once sealed, the drink receives a sticker label with the customer’s exact order and pick-up number. Customers can then get their completed order at a pick-up window once their number is called.
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One employee pours the waffle batter into one of two machines, and sets the timer for approximately 3 minutes 30 seconds. Customers can choose between the original, matcha, and chocolate flavors, and they can also add dipping sauces or toppings to enhance the waffle taste.
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Once a waffle is fully cooked, an employee wraps it in a bright yellow plastic sleeve and delivers it to the customer.
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