Hi everyone, I have a few ideas about opening some stand at either night markets or other convenient locations in Taipei, but I have no clue on how to start that (permits, food safety approval, hiring a stall spot at the markets, etc).
I am already working for a manufacturing company with an ARC, but I am looking into this as a second income in the future.
Can I do that with my current ARC? Do I need a new kind of permit, meaning I would have to quit my job?
Nationality?
What food will you be serving?
You will most certainly need a work permit. Taiwan does not afford work permits to street vendors. The only way to do it is to have open work rights or open your own business. Secondly, most night markets are illegal in Taiwan. Example: There are only three legal night markets in New Taipei.
Most legal night markets have long waiting lists for spots or are reserved for disadvantaged communities.
Sort of western fast food.
South American with a valid ARC for 2 years
No, you can’t do that with your ARC. Your ARC and work permit is tied to your employer.
“The stand could sell 400 oyster omelets and 500 seafood porridges a day, and customers needed to wait in line for at least an hour on holidays, according to the statement.”
Something I would never do. No food in the world is worth 1 hour of my time waiting in line.
What about French fries? 
If you are a foreigner, you need open work rights to do this, or else you will have to hire someone who has it to do it.
Most foreigners I see doing this has APRC or married a Taiwanese.
So hang on until you have an APRC or you start your own company, meet the requirements, and do your food stand thing. Just know as a foreigner you may be held to a higher standard as far as compliance of various laws (meaning you have to get legal spots, and there are not many of them).
Stop trying to bait people with your misnomer.
I wonder how much you can make doing a food stand in Taiwan.
If it’s illegal then nontaxable income…that’s better than working for an employer. Of course unless protection money to the triads is necessary for this type of business in Taiwan.
Actually nothing is worth one hour of my time waiting in line. And fries are not French, they are frenched.
Some night markets legal, semi-legal, and illegal establishments. The legal ones have an actual shop rented within the night market and are legal. But some rent a shop and spread out unto the street. And the obviously illegal ones just roll out a kiosk onto a public street.
For the grey market areas, from what I understand, the local gangs are involved in parceling out lots. A lot of people share their space to split the cost, and I’ve heard that’s a cheap way to get started, but it’s hard to get in unless you know someone on the inside.
You can rent legal (I suppose) spots on 591 occasionally.
as others say, you cannot do that with your current ARC. If you get a permit of investment, you can be a business owner without quitting your job, I think.
So, stall could be making over nt$500,000 per month if nt$20 profit per item (guesstimate) per item and paying little or no tax.
“The stand could sell 400 oyster omelets and 500 seafood porridges a day, and customers needed to wait in line for at least an hour on holidays, according to the statement.”
Taiwanese are known for out-Walmart each other all the time. They have such razor thin margin I would not be surprised if their margin was 10nt. But they probably pay their workers next to nothing to achieve this.
If employment opportunities are marginally low in Taiwan then self employment/freelancing is the only option for survival.
Could make. The established ones maybe. Not everyone does that, many just come and go.