Teapresso Bar LLC Cease and Desist, $100k Civil Penalty
Summary
The Hawaii Commissioner of Securities issued a Preliminary Order to Cease and Desist and imposed a $100,000 civil penalty against Teapresso Bar LLC, a Hawaiʻi franchisor. Between December 2016 and July 2021, Teapresso granted 26 franchises in Hawaiʻi without providing required offering circulars to prospective franchisees and without filing required documents with the Commissioner, in violation of Chapter 482E of the Hawaii Revised Statutes. The franchisor must cease all franchise sales in Hawaiʻi and pay the civil penalty.
What changed
The Hawaii Commissioner of Securities issued a Preliminary Order to Cease and Desist against Teapresso Bar LLC requiring the franchisor to immediately stop all franchise sales activities in Hawaiʻi and pay a $100,000 civil penalty. The enforcement action stems from violations of state franchise laws between December 2016 and July 2021, during which the company granted 26 franchises without providing required offering circulars to prospective franchisees and without filing required documentation with the Commissioner as mandated by Chapter 482E of the Hawaii Revised Statutes.
Affected parties include Teapresso Bar LLC, which is prohibited from further franchise sales in Hawaiʻi and must pay the civil penalty, as well as the 26 existing franchisees who purchased franchises in violation of disclosure requirements. Prospective franchisees across Hawaiʻi are now protected by this enforcement action, which ensures compliance with the state's franchise registration framework designed to provide key information before investors take on franchise-related risks. The DCCA's Securities Enforcement Branch is available to receive information about this matter.
What to do next
- Cease and desist from selling or making an offer to sell, purchase, or transfer any Teapresso Bar franchise or any other franchise within the state of Hawaiʻi
- Pay a civil penalty of $100,000
- Contact DCCA Securities Enforcement Branch at 808-586-2740 or via email if you have purchased a Teapresso Bar franchise or have information about this matter
Penalties
$100,000 civil penalty
Archived snapshot
Apr 17, 2026GovPing captured this document from the original source. If the source has since changed or been removed, this is the text as it existed at that time.
Release: RELEASE: COMMISSIONER OF SECURITIES ORDERS CEASE AND DESIST AGAINST TEAPRESSO BAR LLC
October 17, 2025 at 8:36 am
Share FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 17, 2025
HONOLULU — The state of Hawaiʻi Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA) Commissioner of Securities, Ty Y. Nohara, issued a Preliminary Order to Cease and Desist and Notice of Right to Request a Hearing against franchisor Teapresso Bar LLC (Teapresso) for violating state franchise laws.
The order alleges that, between December 2016 and July 2021, Teapresso, a Hawaiʻi limited liability company, whose sole managing member was Thanh “Steve” Nguyen, granted 26 Teapresso Bar franchises in Hawaiʻi in violation of state franchise laws. Specifically, Teapresso failed to provide an offering circular to prospective franchisees prior to the sale of the franchises, and also failed to file required documents with the Commissioner, as required by Chapter 482E of the Hawaii Revised Statutes. Teapresso is ordered to cease and desist from selling or making an offer to sell, purchase, or transfer a Teapresso Bar franchise or any other franchise within the state of Hawaiʻi and pay a civil penalty of $100,000.
“Hawaiʻi’s franchise laws help ensure that prospective franchisees receive certain key information before taking on the significant risks of investing in a franchise,” said Commissioner Nohara.
Teapresso Bars are food and beverage establishments that specialize in coffee and boba tea. Anyone who has purchased a Teapresso Bar franchise, or who may have information about this matter, is urged to contact the DCCA’s Securities Enforcement Branch at 808-586-2740 or [email protected].
A copy of the Preliminary Order to Cease and Desist and Notice of Right to Request a Hearing is available at link here.
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