Cebuano businessman opens Taiwanese resto

CEBU, Philippines —  Noting the increasing number of Taiwanese tourists visiting and studying English in Cebu, a Cebuano businessman ventures into opening an authentic Taiwanese restaurant.

Called Tien Ma’s, the food destination adds up to Cebu’s food destination choices, reinforcing Cebu’s bid to strengthen its food tourism edge.

“We believe that there is an underserved market in Cebu, so we decided to bring here in order to bring something new to Cebuanos and expand the variety of offerings available. When we first tried the Tien Ma’s restaurant in Manila, we were impressed with the great tasting food and the value for money we got. And we wanted to share that with our fellow Cebuanos,” said Eric Mendoza owner of the Cebu branch.

Located at Meerea High Street along Ouano Ave. North Reclamation, Subangdaku, Mandaue City, the newest Taiwanese restaurant in Cebu is the 10th branch opened in the Philippines, and the first outside of Luzon.

Known for its signature noodles, which are freshly hand-pulled at the restaurant, Tien Ma’s entry to Cebu’s dining array, hopes not only to attract the Taiwanese visitors, but also Filipinos to taste the true flavors of Taiwan.

Mendoza is banking on Cebu’s continued economic development, which resulted to an increase in the purchasing power of its people.

“People don’t have to go too far and our location provides us with convenient parking and it’s easy to access for people who want to just eat and go without having to enter a mall,” Mendoza said adding that he chose to open the branch at Meerea High Street due to its accessibility and convenience.

“The Cebu market is always looking for something new and Cebuanos love good food and value for money, so we are optimistic that they will enjoy the Tien Ma’s experience,” he added.

Tien Ma’s was started by Tien Liyuan who was born in 1932 in Fang-shan township, P’ing-tung country, Taiwan.

Meanwhile, Department of Tourism (DOT-7) regional director Shalimar Tamano said Taiwanese are catching up with Koreans and Japanese in making Cebu their favorite destination to learn English.

Tamano reported that Taiwanese are competing with Koreans in terms of enrolling ESL crash courses in Cebu, thus staying longer than the usual tourists.