Some people really struggle with choice

So I’m standing in the line currently for the new Subway on Xingfu road in Xinzhuang. I’ve been waiting for it to open for a while as there aren’t any other Subways near to where I live, and the former nearest recently closed.

As this Subway has just only opened, today I think, there is understandably a fairly big line, all the way to the door. What is interesting though is how slow the line is going down. I’m watching as these people try to select their bread, meat, veggies and sauce and they seem visually distressed by the choice. I am starting to realise why Subway does so poorly here, most Taiwanese like to be told what to eat, not be given choice. I give this location a year before it turns into another hot pot joint.

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I have friends that can’t seem to make a choice on which parking space to park the car even in an empty public parking lot.

I now just sit and watch the show I know is going to happen.

But they give me all kinds of parking advice when I’m driving. It doesn’t really take a village to make a choice on a parking spot.

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I had a Taiwan Subway breakfast sandwich in hotel quarantine; it was dry and tasteless, and the bread seemed to have a high glue content. I can understand why the locals would not want to give this business their money.

At home, Subway is a budget choice, but when I looked at simple sandwiches here on Food Panda (again, in quarantine) I thought that the cost was a bit high even if the quality was to be better than the breakfast sandwich (if); I guess because of the western food premium? Didn’t order in the end.

Because I have been going to Subway for years, I have a pretty good idea of what I want and how to order. On the other hand, the university canteen where I am has a noodle stand but I haven’t worked up the courage to try and figure out how to order because it is always so busy when I go.

I have edited my post in the hopes of being untemped.

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You’re very unlikely to find decent food on campus.

You’d be surprised, for example a self-serve buffet section that has a great variety of veggies and some meats that aren’t deep fried cutlets.

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Mmm, deep-fried cutlets…

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Then why are there thousands of buffets here where people choose what they want. Maybe they are just less familiar with those food items? Definitely an armchair psychology fail here.

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Most people find the choice at Mac Donalds hard enough and you are surprised that subway is difficult! :rofl:

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I think that’s why McDonald’s neutered their menu years ago. People don’t like choice so keep it simple.

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I think they did that because it was a waste of money. Do a few things and do them well still works.

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Several minutes after reading this post, I went to a tea stand, something I do once a month or so. And it seems like every time I go there are more choices, which of course are a bit difficult to navigate due to my bad Chinese. (The poor workers ask “A or B?”, and I answer with “Bu yong”.) How much sugar, how much ice, OK, I’m used to those. But also the upselling (I guess?) with if I want bubbles (no, that’s why I asked for oolong milk tea), if I want powdered milk or fresh milk, if I want them to rinse my cup, if I want a bag, if I want a straw …

Main point: lots of “convenient” places involve plenty of questions. And if you’re relatively unfamiliar with them, those questions may take some time!

As a middle-aged person who probably needs new glasses, I do think all these darn restaurants should increase the font size on their overhead menus. I’d like to figure out my order ahead of time, I really would, but being able to read the menu would help a lot. I guess part of my problem is the Chinese (understandably!) gets priority, with English often in a smaller font below.

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I feel the problem with Taiwan is the dewildering array of choices. Often this is a struggle, that you’d spent hours figuring out where you will go for dinner because there are simply too many restaurants.

I think Subway should just take their best sold item and just distill it down to meal A, B, C.

That and I never liked eating at subway because I feel like I could eat 3 12 inch subs. The sides they offer simply isn’t enough to make a meal. McDonalds meals are far more filling and priced the same.

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:man_shrugging: For you, sure. McDonald’s leaves me feeling somewhat out of sorts for an hour, and hungry again after that. Subway’s certainly not great but at least I don’t want another meal for a few hours.

I like “dewildering.” It should be a word. “The menu was complicated, but they dewildered it and now the process is much simpler.”

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I agree with this. I could have made a choice while waiting in line, rather than having to get a menu when arriving at the counter.

I can’t blame them. I don’t want to choose every item going in my sandwich either.
They should be designing the sandwiches themselves, that’s lazy.

Last time i went there i picked a cheese thing which seemed to be ‘pre designed’ it was good but more expensive than the standard stuff.

I go to subway for the cookies.

Subber at Zhishan does their subs mostly one way.

On the other hand, there’s a good breakfast place near me - Tanzao, I think it’s called? Independent store, pretty good food, mildly interesting menu - danbing with Korean or Thai or whatever flavors, for example. Menu is only on the overhead chalkboard, not on paper. Chinese only - large font, so no problem with size, I just can’t read much of it, especially because they’re also clever enough that the menu does NOT say “Korean-style danbing” (which I could read), but rather something like “Uncle Oban’s danbing”, and if I knew Chinese I’d recognize that Uncle Oban (or whatever, I don’t remember) “clearly” indicates it’s Korean style.

And I mostly just go there with my wife because I have no way to easily order on my own. No menu I can point to and loudly proclaim “Zhege!” (Many of us have done that, right? Not really sure what we’re going to get, but screw it, it’s going to be food, may as well point at random and give it a shot.) No numbers, although once or twice I’ve tried to do something like point at the chalkboard menu and say “Nabian, di san ge”, which is occasionally successful and but also guaranteed to make me feel guilty about those being held up behind me.

So, good large lettering. But sometimes I’d just like something to point at and/or circle.

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Dunno about sandwiches, but I’ve noticed many people here do get terribly distressed by the most mundane decisions, especially those which don’t have a “best” solution (ie., the only choice is between this unwanted thing and this other unwanted thing). Possibly something to do with being ordered around at school.

Huh? Subway must do well as I see it everywhere down south at least. 3 or 4 locations within a short biking distance from me.

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