The Lunar New Year holiday is just around the corner! It’s an important time for families to gather together and share a new year’s eve meal. You may think that COVID-19 is putting a damper on these activities, but hotel restaurants say that business is booming.
Braised pork belly, abalone, and chicken soup… these are just some of the dishes that people will eat this year on Lunar New Year’s Eve in Taiwan.
While some people will return to Taiwan for the holidays, almost no one is going overseas, because of the COVID-19 pandemic. So if you’re planning to have your banquet at a restaurant… it could be hard to get a reservation.
Many hotel restaurants were already fully booked by December of last year, earlier than in previous years. Some restaurants say business is 20-30% better this year than it was last year. And more people are reserving private rooms in light of the pandemic.
Another popular choice: Japanese dinners. That’s because diners are served their own set meal, rather than digging into communal plates with their chopsticks.
If you haven’t made a reservation yet, you better hurry. Otherwise, you might have to order takeout!