Taipei Garden Hotel (台北花園大酒店) is stepping up efforts to boost food and beverage sales in a bid to claim the mantle of best dining venue in Taiwan.
To build up its Ximending (西門町) hotel, the Cosmos Hotel & Resorts Group (天成飯店集團), has invited Michelin-starred chef Andreu Genestra to cook at its Prime One Steak House from Friday to Sunday.
“While the economy is slowing, demand for expensive, exotic cuisine remains solid,” hotel communications officer Helen Chao (趙盈筑) said.
Economic data lend support to that view. The nation’s food and beverage revenue totaled NT$37.2 billion (US$1.17 billion) last month, an increase of 6.8 percent from the same period last year, Ministry of Economic Affairs data showed.
Food and beverage sales totaled NT$366.1 billion for the first 10 months of this year, a 3.2 percent increase from the same period last year, data showed.
The sector’s revenue outpaced the nation’s GDP growth of 2.03 percent last quarter and forecast of 1.35 percent for this year, the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics said last week.
The steak house is fully booked for Genestra’s special 10-course meal on Saturday night, while space remains for the other two nights or for his special five-course lunch set.
It has become increasingly popular for luxury dining facilities in Taiwan to invite Michelin-starred chefs from abroad to generate media exposure.
The strategy is not intended to lift bottom lines, but rather enhance culinary and cultural exchanges, Chao said.
“Guest chefs pass on their recipes and cooking skills to local staff, who can learn and improve” as Taipei grows increasingly international, Chao said.
The food and beverage sector generated more than 52 percent of Taipei Garden’s NT$38.66 million revenue in September, Tourism Bureau data showed, but the hotel believes there is still room for growth.
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