By Charlene Lin
In Taiwan, all-you-can-eat buffet restaurants are more than a deal just for big-eaters. A huge variety of food options, fixed prices and an unlimited amount of food. This frees people from worries about rising bills and inflexible portions. Customers enjoy the freedom to eat as much as they desire and choose from a wide variety of foods.
Buffet restaurants are not only a feast for the stomach, but also a feast for the eyes. The food is displayed in a way that is visually appealing, and the ambiance is designed to be comfortable and relaxing. The buffet restaurant is a place where people can enjoy a feast for the senses.
First it's good food, second it's ambience, and then the people. Buffet restaurants is considered an ideal place for socializing as a big group, since the venue is spacious, the ambience is great, and everyone can certainly find what they want to eat without compromising.
"I like just meeting a bunch of friends at buffet restaurants. People are more likely to come because there won't be anyone who's unsatisfied with the meal." -- Derry Ma, 22
"My family goes to buffet restaurant a lot. They even buy bundles of buffet vouchers and split them among friends and relatives. Sometimes we also give buffet vouchers away as gifts, as a symbol of gratitude so we treat people fancy meals without having to physically be there. They can go whenever they want, and they won't feel bad when watching us pay." -- Esther Huang, 24
The Competition is Getting Heated
2023 was a big year for buffet restaurants. The leading buffet restaurant chain, Eatogether, expanded its territory by opening 7 more buffet restaurants over the existing 21 restaurants, marking the biggest leap in its buffet business in its 21-year history. The fanciest and the priciest buffet restaurant in Taiwan had its grand opening in 2023 as well.
In the past two decades, more and more high-end buffet restaurants have opened in Taipei, and the comeptition is getting more and more intense and goes beyond the food put onto plates.Who Can Run High-End Buffet Restaurants?
High-end buffet is a tough business. A normal restaurant in Taiwan generally gets its gross profits at 50%, however for high-end buffet restaurants it’s around 40%.
The industry is also hard to enter, as a central location and a large venue are typically required, and unlike normal restaurants with a few chefs and less than a dozen waiters, a buffet restaurant needs staffing up to 80 people to serve a typical high-end buffet restaurant that accommodates 300 customers in each time slot.
Hotels and event venue companies usually provide the spacious venues needed for high-end buffet dining. Most hotels turn their restaurants for morning buffets into all-day operating buffet restaurants. However, it is a lot more difficult for restaurant chains as a store in a commercial building usually does not come with a big enough kitchen and fridge.
It requires a lot of capital and experience in establishing a supply chain, building the central kitchen, adjusting the menu, and controlling food waste considered a loss of the business. In Taiwan, only three restaurant chains made it into the competition: Eatogether, Hi-Lai Foods, and Shin Yeh.
The Strategies of Buffet Chains
Restaurant chains are the most successful buffets among all competitors. All brands of these Buffet Chains are among the highest-rated restaurants–it has been a success. They understand the importance of every element, from pricing, menu design, and branding to ambiance.
Pricing Strategy
Buffet chains cater to diverse customer bases across various price points and food types. There are vegetarian restaurants starting from $588 NTD (about 20 USD), and there are extremely fancy restaurants with all the expensive ingredients that are up to around $4000 NTD (about 130 USD) per person.
Bringing Fine-Dining Experience to All-You-Can-Eat: The Fanciest Buffet in Taiwan
Eatogether in 2023 challenges the pinnacle of all-you-can-eat experiences in Taiwan. Located on the 86th floor of Taipei 101, they are creating the highest and most luxurious buffet in Taiwan, named "A Joy." Themed as "A Love Letter from Taiwan to the World," the buffet boasts eight lavish dining areas, offering over 300 exquisite dishes that skillfully incorporate the unique flavors of Taiwan's local cuisine.
Keywords to Success
Knowing what the customers want on the menu is the key to success and the best solution to avoid food waste. By analyzing the text of 14 blog posts on the most popular buffet restaurants in Taiwan, we found the most frequently mentioned keywords that serve as the highlights of the buffet restaurants.
Taiwanese people are undoubtely huge fans of seafood and Japanese cuisine!
All buffets have a Japanese cuisine section that specifically serves sushi, sashimi and other Japanese dishes, and all articles mention it. Seafood like lobster, crab, oyster and scallop are often a hit seasonally. Western gourment like steak, rib eye, barbeque satisfy Taiwanese people's desire for meat in big portions.