Chain coffee shop acquires affordable American steakhouse

Chain coffee shop acquires affordable American steakhouse

2026-04-02

Always on the lookout for new business opportunities, a chain coffee house has not only expanded into gyms, but taken over an American-style steakhouse. It aims to attract budget-conscious consumers with affordable pricing, offering large-portions, delicious steaks, and Western-style brunch.

A sliced steak gleams from a cast-iron pan. It used to be a well-known American steakhouse, but after it closed down, a chain coffee shop bought it.

For steak lovers, the restaurant offers a 20-ounce tomahawk steak that has to be ordered in advance. It also offers a variety of brunch options for under NT$200, creating a menu great for both morning and evening.

Customer
Likes steak
I think the steak here is really big and so satisfying. I like meat, so for me, eating a portion like this really satisfies my craving.

Customer
Likes brunch
The brunch meals are really big, the kind of breakfast that will really fill you up.

The chain store that bought this steakhouse has been expanding its business in recent years, moving into hot pot and bakery, and even opening a gym in 2022. Now it’s entered the restaurant market.

Huang Ming-hsien
Chain coffee shop CEO
Taiwan’s brunch market is worth tens of billions, and with young people’s spending power continuing to grow, we want to integrate brunch, American dining, and steakhouse culture. With our central factory, we have an advantage over competitors when it comes to raw material costs.

Ku Shang-chun
Association of Chain and Franchise Promotion
The food and beverage market is already close to saturation, so businesses need to expand horizontally to diversify risk. Especially with the rise of AI and IoT, the more storefronts you have and the larger your group is, the stronger your operational big data and economies of scale will be, creating a situation where the big gets bigger and the strong gets stronger.

With the coffee shop market so competitive, chain stores like this are expanding their businesses into different areas to try and remain profitable.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#coffee #coffeeshop #restaurant #foodandbeverage #industry #steak #steakhouse #brunch #American

主打高CP值! 連鎖咖啡接手美式牛排館強勢回歸

2026-04-02

看準餐飲市場商機，有連鎖咖啡業者，近年不只跨界開設健身房，如今也搶攻排餐市場，接手熄燈的美式牛排館，希望以平價策略吸引小資族，同時也推出大份量排餐，和早午餐，要擴大餐飲版圖。

鑄鐵鍋內，牛排切面呈現誘人色澤，飽滿肉汁，讓人看了口水直流，這間知名美式牛排館，日前驚傳熄燈，現在被連鎖咖啡品牌收購後，重新開幕。

看準台灣人愛吃牛排，針對肉肉控、老饕們，也有要事先預訂的，超大份量的20盎司戰斧牛排，業者跨界打造餐飲品牌，還推出不到200元的早午餐，要讓消費者從早吃到晚。

[[民眾]]
“我覺得這邊的牛排就是很大，然後吃得很過癮，因為我自己是蠻喜歡吃肉的，所以我覺得這樣的份量，我覺得吃起來很爽。”

[[民眾]]
“早午餐的份量都非常大份，早餐也可以吃很飽的那種”

其實，連鎖咖啡業者，近年動作頻頻，不只咖啡、火鍋、烘焙坊，2022年更跨界開設健身房，如今搶進排餐市場，要讓企業版圖持續擴大。

[[連鎖咖啡董事長黃銘賢]]
“台灣的早午餐有千億的市場，所以因為現在年輕人的消費模式越來越強大了，所以我們想要把早午餐跟美式餐廳，跟牛排餐廳的文化，全部整合起來。我們中央工廠，讓我們的原料成本，會比同業競爭起來，會有更大的優勢。

[[加盟促進協會的副秘書長顧上均]]
“現在餐飲市場已經接近飽和，必須要橫向擴張來分散風險，尤其AI以及物聯網的時代來臨，當你的門店數量越多，集團規模越大，得到的營運大數據，以及規模經濟效應，也就會越強，形成大者恆大，強者恆強的局面。”

咖啡市場競爭激烈，幾近飽和狀態，要想讓餐飲版圖持續獲利，業者透過併購新品牌，擴大營收項目。

更多新聞內容，請鎖定：
民視台灣台（152頻道）週一至週五晚上9:30
民視新聞台（53頻道）週二至週六凌晨1:00

Related News

Taipower partners with national museum on ecology exhibition

2026-04-02

Uber Eats to adjust service fees up 2.5% to 3% in July

2026-04-02

Major Taipei MRT uniform redesign highlights functionality, safety

2026-04-02

Taiwan reports first local infection of H7 influenza

2026-04-02

Bag full of unfired bullets found on Taipei sidewalk

Last Sunday, a plastic bag containing 114 unfired shotgun bullets was found on the sidewalk of Taipei’s Minsheng Community. After the police was alerted about it, they discovered that it came from a man surnamed Liu, who’d hired a private waste management company to collect discarded items from his home. It ended up out in the open, because the waste collector, another man surnamed Lee didn’t know what to do with it. On Thursday, the police concluded their investigations and filed the case with prosecutors.

Two police officers squat by the sidewalk. They were notified of this discarded plastic bag full of unfired bullets.

In total, the bag contains 114 shotgun bullets.

Wang Yu-chun
FTV reporter
We’re now on Fujin Street, where the plastic bag containing bullets was discarded—right here. A passer-by noticed the bag and found that it contained a large number of bullets. Frightened, they called the police.

Resident
Minsheng Community
I find it incredible. How can this possibly be? Because the whole Minsheng Community is very well managed.

The bullets came from the home of a man surnamed Liu, who had hired a private waste management company. His live-in domestic worker assumed that the bag of bullets was to be discarded too, so it was handed over to the waste collector, a man surnamed Lee, who was shocked to find that it was filled with unfired bullets. Not knowing what to do, Lee left it on the roadside. The police eventually tracked down Liu, who claimed that the bullets belonged to his late grandfather, who had a permit to possess a shotgun. Liu also claimed that his grandfather’s shotgun was turned in to authorities, but that he was unaware that there was still a bag of bullets at home.

Chen Yu-han
Sanmin Police Station
We’ve finalized interviews about the case in violation of the Firearms, Ammunition, and Knives Control Act, and filed it with local prosecutors.

The police has filed the case with prosecutors, with both Liu and Lee to be named as defendants.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#legal #guns #gunpossession #firearms #publicsafety

2026-04-02

Taiwan to crack down on plastic bag hoarding

2026-04-02

Ice sculptors, florists work behind the scenes to keep hotels beautiful

The most visible hotel employees work at reception. But there’s a whole team of people working hard behind the scenes as well. Two of these hidden jobs are the florists and ice sculptors. Although they’re not public facing, these staff are essential to the decor of every event. As many hotels find it hard to hire these professionals, many are willing to hire them on as full-time employees to maintain quality.

Couples all hope for a romantic and perfect wedding. But did you know? Long before they even get to the venue, there’s a whole team of people getting ready.

Huge blocks of ice fresh from the freezer are assembled into an Eiffel Tower. Nearby, florists adjust the placement of each and every flower.

An ice sculptor focuses intently on his work, his movements precise. Lai Lung-chu has been carving ice for 30 years. He used to be a chef of Chinese cuisine, but later got a taste of fruit carving. After winning multiple gold medals, he eventually made the foray into ice sculpting.

Lai Lung-chu
Hotel ice sculptor
This special tool is specifically for carving flowers. It isn’t something you can just buy in Taiwan. It’s imported.

Using this other speciality tool is sculptor Pan Chih-hao, who only needed three minutes to make this gorgeous bouquet. After they’re finished, the sculptures need to go straight back into the freezer.

Lai Lung-chu
Hotel ice sculptor
At negative-20 degrees, it’s a very low-temperature freezer for ice sculptures. We wear heavy winter coats. In this cold, you have to step out about every half hour.

Off in this other hidden corner of the hotel is a corridor that smells sweetly of flowers.

Wu Chiung-hui
Hotel florist
This is where we work. We use only fresh flowers in this hotel. When flowers come back from meetings or banquets, we’ll keep them here. For instance, we can use the roses for their petals.

To make sure that guests only see the most beautiful flowers, there’s also this secret area.

Wu Chiung-hui
Hotel florist
I’ll take you to see the fridge. It’s around 13 to 14 degrees, like the vegetable crisper in your typical refrigerator. When we finish an arrangement, we’ll put it in here so it’ll look its best when it goes out tomorrow.

Tien Yi-hsien
Hotel HR associate
Full-time employees better understand our company culture, clients, and products. Therefore, when interacting with guests, they can more clearly understand their needs and desires. Companies certainly care about costs, and we do as well, but we believe they’re an essential investment.

You heard it straight from the management: These behind-the-scenes helpers are a hotel’s best investment.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#hotels #icesculpting #icesculpture #florist #flowerarranging #wedding #banquet #oddjobs

2026-04-02

Teresa Teng’s hotel butler recalls day of her death

It’s almost 31 years since legendary singer Teresa Teng had an asthma attack and passed away in a hotel room in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Recently, the hotel butler that served her that day finally spilled it all on Chinese social media. Speaking to a RedNote influencer, the butler, Billy recalled that Teng had an asthma attack in the shower at the hotel room. She had just gotten back after exercising, and didn’t have medications within reach. Her partner Paul Quilery was also away. There was also a traffic jam on the way to the hospital, so she unfortunately missed the life-saving golden window.

Teresa Teng’s beautiful singing voice reverberates, almost 31 years on. Details of that fateful day when she passed away remain shrouded in mystery. That’s until recently, when Billy, the hotel butler that served her in Chiang Mai, gave an interview with a Chinese influencer on RedNote.

- I called the manager, and the manager told us to send her to the hospital.
- She didn’t have meds with her?
- No, she didn’t. She would’ve been okay with just one pump. But on that day Ms. Teresa Teng didn’t have easy access to her inhaler.
- But had she used it at any point that day?
- No.
- But what happened could’ve been avoided had she used it, right?
- I understand.

The legendary singer passed away on May 8, 1995 from an asthma attack in a hotel in Chiang Mai. The butler recalls that on the day she died, he had entered her room and asked her what else she wanted for breakfast. In the afternoon, Teng had returned to her room to shower after exercising. That was when she had an asthma attack. She didn’t have an inhaler within reach, and her partner Paul Quilery was also away.

- We rushed her to the hospital, but there was a traffic jam, so we missed the golden window. She could not be resuscitated at the hospital, and soon afterwards, well…
- It was really rushed. By then, she had spasms and numbness in the limbs.
- Yes, spasms and numbness. The doctor also said she hadn’t seen the doctor in a long time.

After Teng died, Billy was forced to sign a non-disclosure agreement with the hotel. However, being unable to save the singer prompted him to learn emergency first aid skills. That way, he would be able to help should he ever run into a similar incident again.

Lin Yung-zen
Immunologist
Asthma patients could get an asthma attack anytime and anywhere, and so patients are advised to carry medications that expand the trachea at all times. Patients are especially prone to attacks when they inhale polluted air, after strenuous exercise, or when they inhale cold air.

Although Teresa Teng passed away all too soon, her music and images remain in the heart of fans worldwide.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#teresateng #celebritynews #asthma #firstaid #health

2026-04-02

Passerby calls police over art installation resembling taxi crash

Art is meant to evoke feelings in the viewer, but what if those feelings are fear that someone is drowning? That’s what a new artwork at Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts did on Wednesday evening, even causing a bystander to call the police. The art piece in question was nothing other than a taxi sinking in a lake near the museum. Police arrived at the scene and quickly realized that there was no actual danger, as the taxi was just a replica for the upcoming “Electri City” exhibition.

A taxi appears to sink in the lake outside the Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts, headlights still on. The shocking sight startled passersby, who called the police to report a vehicle had plunged into the water.

Officers rushed to the scene only to realize there was no emergency. The taxi in the water isn’t real, but a new art installation.

Hung Tzu-tang
Police officer
We confirmed it was not a real vehicle. Nobody was trapped inside or in danger.

At first glance, the sight is shocking, but if you get closer, you can see the license plate is 5987, a pun on “I’m an idiot” in Taigi. The light at the top of the car says “Take” instead of “Taxi.” The confusion arose as the museum was preparing for its upcoming exhibition “Electri City” this Tomb Sweeping Festival long weekend.

Huang Yen-ying
Curator
The piece is meant to be humorous while encouraging reflection about climate change. If scenes like that become part of our everyday normal lives, will we still be able to laugh?

The exhibition is about the future and is set to transform the museum and park into a space blending technology, electricity and art. The taxi itself is entirely fake, made of fiberglass, but crafted with striking realism.

- Would you mistake it for a real one?
- Yes!

Lin Yi-wen
Kaohsiung Museum of Fine Arts
During the exhibition, there will be signs with introductions for each artwork. We’d like to apologize for the confusion caused yesterday.

A sign has been placed next to the installation now. Though it caused a needless police dispatch, the amusing misunderstanding has only helped promote the art exhibition.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

#art #funny #confusion #electricity #kaohsiung #artinstallation

2026-04-02