We were lucky to catch up with Angela Renals recently and have shared our conversation below.

Angela, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to start by getting your thoughts on what you are seeing as some the biggest trends emerging in your industry

Afternoon Tea Boxes are here to stay. Pandemic restaurant restrictions inspired the advent of the Afternoon Tea Box (for curbside pick-up, local delivery or nationwide shipment). Tearooms in 2020 began designing pretty ways to tuck all the elements of an afternoon tea menu into a neat box. Teas, finger sandwiches, scones and desserts with edible flowers and mini containers of jam and cream allow friends to set-up a delicious at-home tea party without all the food prep. Some even include teacups, cutlery, party plates or tiered trays, to make setting a gorgeous tea table easy. In 2021, a Pennsylvania tearoom reported that they sold a record number of takeout Mother’s Day teas, as compared to their typical Mother’s Day sales. Cream Tea gift boxes (scones, clotted cream and tea shipped nationwide) and Afternoon Tea Boxes have become so popular that many tearooms have launched online stores to expedite order fulfillment.

Afternoon tea is not only for the ladies. Though afternoon tea has ever been the domain of women, that is changing:  today 25% of Destination Tea visitors are men. It makes sense. Afternoon tea is a delicious, relaxing experience, why would they want to miss out? Tearooms were the first restaurants unchaperoned American women could frequent, own and work in, so traditional teahouses today still feature soft colors, homespun decor, lace and flowers. But this does not deter the gents — they want in on the scrumptiousness.

Pinterest Predicts says that “Afternoon Tea Is the New Happy Hour” in 2022, and our growing traffic (more than doubling every year over the last 5 years) confirms that afternoon tea is not only becoming increasingly popular, but especially with young professionals, 25-34 year-olds make up Destination Tea’s largest demographic). Period shows like Bridgerton have caused a surge in interest in the finery and sumptuousness of afternoon tea. Also, as our lives become increasingly screen-oriented, and after two years of pandemic life, many of us crave relaxing in-person visits (without the threat of a hangover tomorrow). Tea and afternoon tea invite us to breathe in our tea’s fragrance, sip slowly and take our time reconnecting to those we love.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

In 2016, I launched Destination Tea, The U.S. Afternoon Tea Directory, listing afternoon tea venues in all 50 states, with browsable map, pricing and reservation details. What led me to do this? I was a young mom when I first discovered the afternoon tea meal (tea, finger sandwiches, scones with jam and clotted cream, and mini desserts), at the former Faded Rose Tea Garden in Chamblee, and I instantly fell in love. I began recruiting friends to explore local tearooms and family to go to tea whenever we traveled. The only problem was that online searches turned up out-of-date or incomplete results for afternoon tea venues, ultimately motivating me to do my own research and create a full list of afternoon teas across the country.

Destination Tea’s mission is to bring more and more people to the tea table because afternoon tea is a beautiful custom that uplifts us and creates memories. Our website content now includes resources to help tea lovers and newcomers host themed tea parties at home, find a local tea society or American tea farmer, or learn about tea fashion and etiquette. We regularly post new tearoom reviews chock full of pictures and we’ve begun sharing how-to’s on our YouTube channel. In 2022, we hosted Atlanta’s first tea party for tea professionals, gathering local tea business owners and writers together for the first time.

Our greatest successes are rooted in people: the tearoom owner who reports that people are finding her business on Destination Tea; the friends who discover a new favorite tearoom because of one of our reviews; the readers who are cheered by Destination Tea’s writings, like this commenter:

“At the height of my anxiety of trying to sort out how my 7-year-old will be returning to school in the fall and negotiating work-related issues due to the pandemic, I experienced a medical emergency which turned out to be cancer. Although processing this diagnosis was difficult and the thought of possibly leaving my child motherless caused some despair, I’m grateful for how our family bonded and worked to face this new reality together. I’m also in a better place to reflect on my life and can see that the everyday grind of focusing mainly on work and school had been deterring our family from fully experiencing life in the moment and growing emotionally. While undergoing chemo and trying to focus on things that make me happy, I found Destination Tea and other groups that obviously share in the same delight I have for afternoon tea! Visiting these sites helped me to stay positive and viewing pictures of beautifully decorated tables became another form of support for me. Although 2020 has been a challenging year, I can also say that there are a lot to be thankful for- including finding your lovely website. I’m looking forward to visiting many of the tea houses you’ve featured once the pandemic is over with and excited to receive each new post from Destination Tea. Thank you for being such a generous guide and host of all things tea!” – Cheryl, Dec. 2, 2020

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

When I first started Destination Tea, I had no experience in ad sales, but I expected that as Destination Tea’s traffic grew, that would become the business’ main source of revenue. The fact is though, I had to be honest with myself about who I am. I am a creative. I am a speaker and a writer. Over time, I have grown Destination Tea’s advertiser base, but looking over my earnings, the largest category of revenue is from contributed articles and graphic design. Because I do this work part-time, I had to use my time wisely, and recently that has meant shifting my expectations and work priorities to focus on writing and speaking opportunities.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Destination Tea was designed to appeal to me. After all, I’m my target customer. I like things to be concise, organized, uncluttered, playful, honest and gracious…and so do Destination Tea visitors! The most important element that visitors need to be able to trust: that Destination Tea’s information is current. Therefore, I routinely update the state afternoon tea directories, scour the news and social media for new tearoom openings, solicit and welcome corrections, to which I respond promptly.

Also, the afternoon tea crowd is a joyous, friendly and supportive group of people. Friends telling friends about Destination Tea, sharing it to their social media, and tearooms doing the same has been a tremendous help to building Destination Tea’s reputation.

Finally, having reviewed more than 100 afternoon tea services in the States and abroad, Destination Tea has come to be regarded as an experienced afternoon tea resource.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.destinationtea.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/destination_tea/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DestinationTeaDT/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angelarenals/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/destinationtea
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCuAqodY7TjYx1khTPuxlvg
• Other: Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/DestinationTea/

Image Credits
Destination Tea