Taiwan used to have Wendy’s, A&W, Hardee’s (Carl’s Jr.) and Arby’s. [/quote]
Taiwan had A & W !!! they are excellent, great burgers, good real tasting burgers. I would kill for one now[/quote]
Keep it in your pants, hotshot, it was just a little booth in Ximen, they only sold root beer and ice cream, no Burger Family, no Chubby Chicken, and they lasted about 6 months.
FWIW, I call BS on the Carl’s Jr and Arby’s too.[/quote]
They had a real restaurant in Ximen over 25 years ago at the intersection of Redsquare, Police station and McDonald’s. Back when trains ran above ground. AW also shared space with Domino’s and you could get frozen mug root beer floats. They had locations in two locations that I know of - Ximen and Sanchung, That was around 16 years ago. I had frozen mug root beer floats at both.
Does Mcs make money in Taiwan? some locations do. The two original San Chung District Mcs on Zheng Yi N. road used to have plaques on the walls recognizing their high revenues. The new drive thru Macs which opened last month on Chung Yang Road in San Chung district is on a lot that used to be a Toyota service center. 頂好Wellcome超市241新北市三重區重陽路一段41號 This is the google map address for the Wellcome next to the toyota service center which is now a drive thru macdonalds. At the new service center location I talked to a mechanic who worked on our car. According to the mechanic, the combined lease for both the service center and the sales center across the street was around $1 million NT. He said McDonald’s is paying $1.3 million a month for the lot that used to be the service center. That explains why our Toyota service center moved. The service center was razed, and Macs put in a small store with a parking lot and a two window drive thru. Xin Yi road close to Yung Kang street had a Macs. but it closed around 10 years ago. On the two blocks of Xin Yi road between Dan An park and Yong Kang street there used to be a Wendy’s, Churches Fried Chicken, and a Mcdonald’s. All of them long gone. Does anyone else remember when Macs closed serveral branches in Taipei? That must have been around 6 or 7 years ago.
Here’s what I think. Macs does lousy in high income districts where people have a high level of education. Put them in places like San Chung, and you make $$$. Here in San Chung there are least 6 Macdonald’s.
[quote=“Chris”]Franchises still have to stick to the basic menu, and if they introduce new local varieties, it’s still nationwide.
I’m glad they’re staying. I love their Egg McMuffin breakfasts. If you don’t like them, you’re free not to eat there.[/quote]
If they introduce local food into their menu, pots, pans and ingredients will come into contact with each other, thus causing trouble for people with allergies.
You are aware that this is Taiwan, right?
I have talked to many restaurant owners here in Taiwan and each of them told me the same.
They really have to look after their staff in order to maintain their standards.
If you do have a life threatening allergy to shrimps, then there better be no shrimp on the menu.
Mr Blaquesmith. My apologies… I think I’m having a bit of micro/macro aggression. I do not love McDonalds but know that I can get a safe meal. They really follow the rules where other places don’t take it seriously. I love Taiwanese food. I was very lucky that my mother in law, may she rest in peace, actually adapted almost all of their dishes so I can enjoy them. She separated my portion and either left out the fishy part or gave me the vegetarian equivalent. Dragon boat dumplings for instance… Great! After she passed away the branch of the family stopped making that. The other branch took over always puts fish in it. I was accidentally told by a family member that it was safe. See the stuff I have to live under.
No, I don’t really like McDonald’s, except occasionally. Sometimes, at the department store I am eating it out of necessity.
You all have very good suggestions and I will look into it and adapt some. Your brothers friend really has to put up with a lot. I honestly consider myself lucky that I have just a fish allergy. In theory it is so easy to avoid. That is what is getting me angry. Each event that happens to me is out of laziness, or ignorance. Even though my needs were stated in English, Taiwanese, Chinese, written in flash cards and messages. For example. I love Turkey rice. I asked if there was fish or seafood in it. Then my wife asked. Then I hesitated and bought some.
It was good. Then… crunch! Huh… turkey rice should not go crunch! It was a fu*****g shrimp. I was on the highway at a rest stop miles from anywhere. Thank goodness I have a delayed reaction. But a very strong onset…
All of you have pretty good suggestions. Thank heavens I have a few restaurants in my village that I really trust. We are busy and we don’t really have an active kitchen. I work out of my home. But still. … I will go over these suggestions and actually take some seriously.
I always wondered if these chaines really make money … buying one drink or one item off the menu and sitting for hours enjoying aircon and even sleeping? In Europe they’ll just throw you out!
You are aware that this is Taiwan, right?
I have talked to many restaurant owners here in Taiwan and each of them told me the same.
They really have to look after their staff in order to maintain their standards.
If you do have a life threatening allergy to shrimps, then there better be no shrimp on the menu.[/quote]
I’m thinking the same thing. This is Taiwan. Once managed by Taiwanese, it becomes a local restaurant.
You pay them a fee to start up a franchise, they install everything from kitchen to furniture, they train your employees, than they charge you rent for the property because as said McD owns all the properties they have a store, Just in case you change your mind and try to go to the competition and you’re on a prime location. And, they don’t care if they find another property, buy it and put another franchisee in it across the street.
Labor, electricity, rent, water, gas, taxes it’s all paid by the franchisee. McD is just your landlord and the company that has a strong brandname that you pay your money too, probably a percentage on your sales too.
McDonald’s is not going to ‘franchise’ in Taiwan the way that it does in the US. Franchise laws here suck for the main companies. My understanding is they are looking for a licensee much like starbucks or 7-11 uses 統一 to distribute its products.
So does anyone know how much they want for the franchises? Seeing as they want to get out completely and quickly, hopefuly they’d be going for a reasonable price… :/…
They are not selling franchises. They are selling off the whole thing to a licensee. So unless you have hundreds of millions and experience running an international food chain, you aren’t qualified
My bet is on Uni-President (they have, after all, 7-eleven, Starbucks, Mister Donut, 25% of Family Mart and other minor coffee and tea shops). Talk about deep pockets.
You are aware that this is Taiwan, right?
I have talked to many restaurant owners here in Taiwan and each of them told me the same.
They really have to look after their staff in order to maintain their standards. …[/quote]
Lol. Any of you Forumosans have teenage or college age kids like I do? Just ask them for stories from their friends who work at McDonald’s here in Taiwan. My daughter has shared with me what her McDonald’s working friends have told her. Gross, gross, gross.
You are aware that this is Taiwan, right?
I have talked to many restaurant owners here in Taiwan and each of them told me the same.
They really have to look after their staff in order to maintain their standards. …[/quote]
Lol. Any of you Forumosans have teenage or college age kids like I do? Just ask them for stories from their friends who work at McDonald’s here in Taiwan. My daughter has shared with me what her McDonald’s working friends have told her. Gross, gross, gross.[/quote]
Here’s the thing… I frequent a lot of places like McDonald’s, Coffee shops and 7-11’s, car dealers and just about every kind of business. (I have to do a lot of waiting, so I browse:) ) I actually find the workers, for what little they are being paid, very hard workers. The poor 7-11 people do everything from making copies, making coffee, accepting payments shipping packages and more for very little compensation. They are very friendly and do hard tasks with a smile.
On a recent trip to America, we got an angry or at best a poker face and we felt like we imposing just for asking for some ketchup. It’ just for things that they think are stupid like (fish allergies) They do stupid things. I actually can’t reconcile the good and great care we get in other things to the stupid things involving fish allergies.
