Hot pot entrepreneur capitalizes on street stall experience to win support

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.