Cosmos Hotel Taipei (台北天成大飯店), the nation’s top performer by occupancy rates, has opened a burger restaurant to tap into the takeout market and boost its food and beverage revenue, company officials said yesterday.
The new venture, Burger Lab, is to have its grand opening tomorrow after a month-long soft launch.
“We expect the new restaurant to generate an annual revenue of NT$14 million [US$445,690], raising overall food and beverage sales by about 5 percent,” chief food and beverage operating officer Steven Shih (石益鳴) said.
The goal can be achieved if the restaurant attracts 3 to 5 percent of passers-by, estimated at 5,000 to 6,000 per day, Shih said, adding that the hotel has benefited from its convenient location in front of Taipei Railway Station.
Burger Lab was remodeled from an old cafe at the hotel’s ground floor and the soft launch lent support to the strategy change thus far, as revenue more than doubled over the period, Shih said.
The store serves eight types of burgers, which come as separate items or set meals starting at NT$120, Shih said.
The pricing strategy aims to make the store affordable and popular with all age groups, especially young and busy customers who need takeout service, Shih said.
Burger Lab is a joint venture, with chefs from Cosmos Taipei and Taipei Garden Hotel jointly creating its menu and the group’s bakery supplying its bread, the group’s assistant director of marketing and communication Blythe Chao (趙芝綺) said.
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