Fried rice restaurant with endless menu gives loyal customers decision paralysis

2023-05-15

As inflation soars, the price of eating out is creeping up. Restaurants across Taiwan are reluctantly raising prices. But many favorite local eateries are still going strong, especially when they count on personal connections with customers. Today we meet Mr. Huang, who runs a fried rice restaurant in Taipei. On the wall of his joint are more than 500 variations on fried rice. Customers complain the endless menu gives them decision paralysis. But something about the chef’s warm and efficient service keeps them coming back for more.

Mr. Huang cracks an egg into the pan, adds crabmeat, and stirs furiously. Last in is the rice. He serves up 250 bowls of fried rice every day. He doesn’t even need to look up as he reaches for the sauces by muscle memory.

This fried rice joint in a Taipei alleyway has been in business for 34 years. Every day at lunch a crowd gathers, but lots of people are stumped by the menu. There are more than 500 variations on fried rice listed - too many to fit on the wall. The options include every possible combination of garlic, tomatoes, peppers, and pork liver…

Customer
The last time I came, I was just choosing my order for 10 minutes, standing there thinking.

Customer
I spend a long time thinking – seven or eight minutes.

Mr. Huang
Fried rice restaurant owner
I started with about 30 basic choices. Over time, people would ask, “Can you add this or add that?” I’d say, “Of course.” And gradually it got more and more customized.

Some customers have begged Huang for a quick menu of favorite choices to save them from decision paralysis. He can cook the meal much faster than they can choose.

Mr. Huang
Fried rice restaurant owner
It was a bit of a muddle at first. I would miss things out as I took the order, or as I grabbed the different ingredients for the pan. Some customers don’t speak very clearly and we miss something.

Creating such a customizable menu was a steep learning curve, requiring lots of concentration at first. Recently, with inflation as high as it is, Huang has had to raise prices, but he hopes his warm and personalized service will keep customers close by.

北市超狂炒飯專賣店　菜單「一面牆不夠貼」

2023-05-15

通常點炒飯，不外乎肉絲、火腿、蝦仁、廣東炒飯，但您能想像，台北市區巷弄內就有一家炒飯專賣店，竟然超過500種料理可以選擇，一個牆壁還不夠貼，炒飯口味超多種。就有常客開玩笑說，第一次來，真的會有選擇障礙！

打一顆雞蛋、倒進蟹肉絲，快速翻炒，接著再加入白飯。師傅每天炒大約250份炒飯，連調味料在哪，不用看就能精準下鍋。

台北巷弄內34年老字號快炒小吃店一到午餐時間，人潮滿滿滿，但靠近想點餐，客人卻眼花撩亂，仔細一看，菜單一個牆壁不夠貼，從蒜味、番茄、青椒到豬肝都能炒進飯裡，居然多達500種口味。

[[常客]]
“上次來的時候，我大概想十分鐘以上，就一直考慮。”

[[常客]]
“會看滿久的，七八分鐘吧。”

[[炒飯業者黃先生]]
“就是基本的三十幾個，漸漸有些人會說，可不可以加這個，可不可以加那個，當然可以越來越偏向客製化。”

就有客人建議老闆要不要把人氣炒飯直接列出來，免得選擇障礙大爆發，廚師炒一盤飯都比他點餐還要快。

[[炒飯業者黃先生]]
“一開始會有點霧煞煞，抓什麼拿什麼有點都會漏掉，要不然在炒的時候也會漏掉，有些客人講不太清楚，我們就會少一樣東西。”

老闆坦言一開始還真不習慣，食材有時候會忘記加。也說因為物價飛漲，不得不漲價，但還是希望能客製化，擄獲客人味蕾。