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Hot pot entrepreneur capitalizes on street stall experience to win support

Hot pot entrepreneur capitalizes on street stall experience to win support

2022-09-26

Let’s hear now from a new restaurant owner who’s weathered the storm of COVID. At just 34, Chang Chih-heng runs a luxury hot pot restaurant famous for its Kobe beef. But just a few years ago, he was running a street stall selling red bean cakes. Let’s hear how he found the experience and courage needed to start his own business.

Crushed ice falls like an avalanche into a bowl. Then it’s covered with shrimp roe, abalone, oysters, fish, and clams.

Marbled slivers of Kobe beef are laid on a plate. This hot pot is a luxurious fusion of land and sea.

Chang Chih-heng
Hot pot restaurant owner
The marbling in Kobe beef is extremely beautiful. My more regular customers all ask for this. At holidays like Mother’s Day or Father’s Day, our turnover is greatly increased. At best we can reach NT$1 million a month.

Chef Chang Chih-heng is very particular about the quality of the seafood as well as the beef. Alongside the A5 wagyu and Kobe beef are sushi-grade scallops and nine-head abalone. The delicacies used in this hot pot restaurant mark it out from the crowd. At its helm is 34-year-old Chang. Eight years ago, he invested NT$100,000 that he had earned through part-time work since high school to start his own business. He started with a small food cart next to Fu Jen University, selling simple red bean cakes.

Chang Chih-heng
Hot pot restaurant owner
I thought I would get into the world of work sooner than other people and get some more experience. And that might help me in the future. My classmates there were very passionate. Perhaps some of them thought I was going for my dream while still really young. Maybe they felt influenced by me and they cheered me on.

After five years selling red bean cakes, Chang expanded his business. Opening a restaurant takes NT$5 million, not an easy sum to earn. Chang swallowed his pride and asked his father and other relatives for money.

Chang Chih-heng
Hot pot restaurant owner
Talking about amounts of money like that can damage the relationship. Other people will be worried that once they’ve lent you the money, something might happen. I told my dad, “I’ve got related experience. I want to give it a try. So if I fail, I’m willing to spend the rest of my life working to pay this mortgage back.”

Father of Chang Chih-heng
I saw how determined he was so I supported him. I did my best to help him open the business. If a young person has a dream, as a dad, you can’t fail to support them and let them down.

Chang’s father, already retired, was moved by his son’s request, finally agreeing to mortgage his last house to fund the restaurant opening. Soon after the restaurant opened, the pandemic struck, but Chang’s choice to use the finest ingredients makes the eatery stand out from the crowded budget hot pot competition.

圓創業夢! 路邊攤老闆晉身高檔火鍋店創辦人

2022-09-26

來看看一個創業的故事。34歲的張誌恆,為了一圓創業夢,先是在輔大旁開小餐車,存到錢之後,又從路邊攤拓展到街邊店,改開起高檔火鍋店。雖然幾經波折,現在卻已經是月營收可達百萬的連鎖火鍋店創辦人。

碎冰像是雪片般刨進碗公,再依序擺上蝦子、鮑魚、生蠔、魚片和蛤蜊。

緊接著,油花均勻、A5等級的神戶牛,片片切下完成擺盤,海陸雙拼的奢華組合,就大功告成。

[[火鍋店老闆張誌恆]]
“神戶牛它的油花等級是非常漂亮的,比較常來的客人都會指名要這一塊。像我們有節日,母親節、父親節,過節的營業額都可以拉高,那最好都有到(一個月)一百萬左右”

從肉品到海鮮都很講究,除了有神戶牛、A5和牛,還有生食級干貝、和九頭鮑等高檔好料,這家火鍋店利用昂貴食材,成功在競爭激烈的火鍋市場中闖出名號。幕後的推手,是34歲的張誌恆,8年前為了一圓自己的創業夢,靠著高中畢業,打工存來的10萬元,在輔大旁的開小餐車,賣起最簡單的紅豆餅。

[[火鍋店老闆 張誌恆]]
“我就覺得說,那我比別人早一步進社會,多學一些經驗,那對我以後可能會有些幫助。那邊的同學都蠻熱情的,有一些可能就覺得說,我還蠻年輕就朝自己的夢想前進,他們可能也覺得受我影響也來捧場。”

賣了5年紅豆餅,張誌恆接著計畫拓展事業,但開店基金就要500萬,不是說開就能開,只好拋開面子,向親戚或是自己的父母籌錢。

[[火鍋店老闆 張誌恆]]
“因為講到這種錢會傷感情,而且別人也會有顧忌,一筆錢借出去,會不會擔心甚麼的,那我也是跟(爸爸)說,因為我有類似的經驗,我想嘗試看看,所以那就算是,就算是失敗了,我願意花一輩子的時間,在外面工作來還那筆房貸。”

[[張誌恆父親]]
“我看他很堅持,就支持他嘛,盡量讓他創業年輕人有夢想,老爸也不能說完全不支持他、讓他失望啊。”

已經退休的父親,被兒子的拚勁給打動,終於妥協,拿出僅存的房子,給銀行抵押,換取開店基金。儘管張誌恆的火鍋店,開幕沒多久就經歷疫情考驗,但他選擇用高檔食材開起涮涮鍋店,在平價火鍋、和麻辣鍋林立的市場,用不同策略,闖出自己的一片天。

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