I think in 2023 in Taipei, foreignness isn’t really that much of an attraction. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel, just be really good and market well. Have a look at successful places in Hong Kong
A brew pub with good pizza and other bar items would do well if done properly and the place looks good
In Taiwan the main problem is the food isn’t usually up to scratch, and the places tend not to be either homely or stylish. Kind of cookie cutter. Wish the holiday towns had proper bars.
But I remember in college they got those school cafeterias, which are basically all you can eat buffets. If you live in a dorm you basically ate from that (though you got other options if you prefer “better” food).
In the cafeteria they would have waffle irons and waffle mix, and people would basically make a whole waffle, then dump soft serve right on top of it, and then cover that in strawberry jam/chocolate.
I often wonder how the heck do you make it through college without becoming very obese. It’s great if you’re bulking up though and just needed extra protein as they had all you can eat roast chickens. Oh and also really good gyms on campus for the bulking up…
Getting away from food, I just noticed there are no cryo clinics in Taiwan. The closest one is in Hong Kong. It would likely do well here
°CRYO Hong Kong
A spa with saunas (really high temps), cold dip pools (refrigerated), and cryotherapy chambers (for an additional type of cold exposure), all kind of designed around the Wim Hof method. Maybe breathing classes/sessions would be offered too. It would be a huge flop, I know, because nobody here would understand what the hell you were trying to accomplish with freezing and heating your body, and with the breathing. Even my wife wonders what the hell I’m up to with the breathing. And the one time I took an ice bath (I had my swimming suit on), she took a video of me and shared it on fb and had a big laugh.
I used to complain about the lack of self-storage facilities in Taiwan and my wife told me that’s because Taiwanese people don’t need such things and then one day, Boom!, they’re everywhere:
Finally they’re showing up! If those sorts of facilities should be anywhere in the world, I’d have thought Taipei’s combination of hoarding and small apartments would be the perfect opportunity.
I went to the Capitol Hotel sauna in Seoul for a while, then to other places. Even at that time, I enjoyed switching to the cold pool after some time in the sauna. The two pools close to where I live in Taiwan where they had a very cold dip pool and hot saunas closed. So now I’m stuck with the government pools where the cold dip pool is filled with just tap water. I take a cold shower after the sauna but the water isn’t cold enough now.
I’m the youngest there when I go lol. But, I prefer it because it’s never too crowded – I hate crowds and honestly wouldn’t go if it was shoulder to shoulder and unable to get a seat.