What do Taiwan's highway rest stops remind me of? State of the art shopping mall that serves quality specialty food from the region and a strong emphasize with the cleanest rest rooms on the entire highway.
That's how Taiwanese see opportunity. I mean, why not? Just think about amount of traffic that goes through every hour. Sure, not every driver needs to piss or get a bite, but the urge to shop for a gift before you get to your destination, a good gesture to show for who ever is inviting you, is irresistible.
Every time we drive down to my grandparents' place, we always stop at this rest stop in mid-Taiwan near Tai Chung. This is arguably the best rest stop in the country, so much so that even the locals flock to the rest stop to chill on weekends and sometimes cause traffic jams on the highway. It's no longer just a rest stop, it's a destination. Now THAT's a business proposition!
So how did this rest stop get famous? Well, other than the modern furnishing and offerings, they have a shark in the water tank.... yes, a shark. It's the most random thing in this rest stop. The story literally went like - The CEO was walking around the building thinking what can lure customers to visit the place, and one employee said casually,"Put a shark in there!" And the CEO was enlightened.
For a while people did flock to the rest stop to see this "shark", which is tiny to say the least. However, where else would you see a shark in a rest stop?! And... it's FREE!
So there you go, another Taiwanese pioneered business model with successful results. After many years, the rest stop is still popular, still fancy, still that one place we simply have to stop at and contribute by taking a piss.
