This weekend is the end of Wendel’s in Tianmu. Doesn’t seem like they have any plans to reopen elsewhere for now. I think the rent on the property has gotten too high among other issues. It really is quite large and the second floor doesn’t seem to get used at all by customers, seems like a waste to use all of that for office space, or whatever they use it for.
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Moksha recently closed too. Oggis is gone!
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Whoa. What’s going on over there
Bummer. Maybe the mrt ego is coming back to bite businesses in the ass.
Any of those spots considering opening in Taipei city proper?
I’m not sure what you mean… all those places are pretty close to Zhishan MRT station, not way up in the 'Mu on Sec. 7 or something.
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Pretty much Tienmu these days. The rest of it is already dead 
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Tienmu back in possibly its heyday in the 70s/80s used to have a lot of nice little dive restaurants and a coupla stores on its own. Kinda sorta like West Portal is to sF (for those in the know). West Portal is still alive (not so much shops but restaurants) and what is Tienmu now? Nothing?
MRT is generally great but may be bad for some neighborhood shops that don’t make themselves unique in some way. Because with the MRT you can go all over taipei in a reasonable speedy manner.
It’s just more generic, pretty quiet, a lot of empty storefronts.
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Food and beverage in Taiwan is currently a mess, compounded by the shinking number of young Taiwan people. Hiring, retention, and complying with the labour laws passed in the Tsai administration are all a headache, I’ve been told by different people.
Smaller eateries operated by a small group of older people are fine; restaurants completely staffed by people from India are fine. Many places that count on hiring young Taiwanese workers however are struggling.
Guy
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This is what I’ve heard as well.
It’s already a tough business with small margins
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I have no doubt that the new consumer reliance on Food Panda and Uber Eats is not helping, as lots of the profits are being handed over to those platforms instead of staying with the business.
Guy
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Tbf, I think there are winner and losers with food delivery. I’ve talked to someone who runs ghost kitchens in the Uk and he’s done well. I think those who have the ability to structure their business to also cater to delivering will be winner. But I was told this can be limited the type of food you serve. But new restaurateurs need to consider a menu that makes sense for delivery now.
Some place like Wendells, probably a loser here.
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I really should back up there one of these days … haven’t been to Eddy’s in years now, and I want to try the Churchill’s restaurant. But the bus or YouBike access is such a relative headache compared to most other places in Taipei.
Weird what’s happening in the Zhishan area. I used to go to Moksha and Oggi’s a lot, both gone; Mia Cucina got rid of their set menu, which made it much less appealing for individuals. Still a long line of restaurants right beside the MRT station, and they seem to do OK business, but it’s hard to tell.
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Sadly, that’s not just eateries. Is a societal issue going across sectors that pay minimum wage. Tsai attempted to make things better for the workers; in a country of bosses, there are many complaints 
The labor issue will worsen, regardless of party. Only immigration can solve it now. people complain about about inflation without checking the costs.
On the off chance someone knows it. There was a Greek restaraunt in tienmu we went a few times maybe 8ish years ago? Husband was a race car driver of some sort. Blue and white theme. We completely forgot the name and location, and havent fkund it again. anyone know the spot 
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A bit off topic, but why aren’t these well established restaurants buying the property they have been operating in for decades? Is it beyond their means to buy/loan for it?
Because if the landlord gets greedy and decides to up the rent to ensure that the business never profits, then they can be effectively shut out. I hear this happens with a lot of eastern district storefronts. Landlords are charging rent that the market in the area can no longer support, and will not back down on it, and thus you’re seeing a lot of either shut doors, or claw machine shops.
I suppose a case could be made if the business is occupying government owned properties that can only be rented (like Huashan)…
Speaking of Churchills, Tienmu square and the area around TAS is a major pain in the ass to get to by public transport, with infrequent bus services or crap youbike coverage. I think I’d like Sanchong or even Taoyuan better because there’s much better transport linkage to those area compared to Tienmu.
Even though all Taiwan is absurdly expensive now, that area has been fornmany decades already. Like, stupid expensive. It would certainly be nice…but…reality.
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Wasn’t the rent on that Wendell’s place like 400k a month over a decade ago? I heard that figure but have no idea if it was true. Wouldn’t surprise me…
Commercial property, or any property of commercial value have rent so high, the only people who profits are the landlords. I do not know how business owners ever make money here. I think corporations who operate here would just buy the property rather than pay rent.
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Check the selling price per ping for a 1st floor to find the answer
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So not even a corporation could make back the money, and if they were done with it they’d sell it for even more?
Considering that they could definitely loan all the money they need and pay the interest fairly easily (considering how low they are).