https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3991866
Popular Shanghai-style restaurant in Taipei to close after 70 years
Kao Chi to shut down Yongkang branch after failing to comply with government regulations
By Ching-Tse Cheng, Taiwan News, Staff Writer
2020/08/21 10:34
(Taiwan News) — Popular Shanghai-style restaurant chain Kao Chi (高記) on Thursday (Aug. 20) confirmed it would shut down its main branch on Taipei's Yongkang Street after being notified by the city government about violations to the Building Act.
Famous for its fried pork buns (生煎包) and Chinese pastries, Kao Chi opened eight years before its rival Din Tai Fung, in 1949. It was the first Shanghainese restaurant on Yongkang Street.
Its dishes are often served to foreign officials. The founder of the chain, Kao Su-mei (高四妹), was once invited to the Presidential Office Building to demonstrate his culinary skills.
The Yongkang branch manager said the restaurant was fined NT$240,000 (US$8,165) for violating the building code Wednesday (Aug. 19) and was told by the city government that its second and third floors could not be used for commercial purposes. He said the location will have its water and electricity cut off unless it makes improvements in two weeks, reported ETtoday.
Kao Chi said the restaurant could close as early as the end of August, but it hopes the government will allow further negotiation. It urged the government to consider the employees who have been working there for over a decade and ease the penalties.
Kao Chi has four locations in Taiwan, including the Yongkang branch. It also had three branches in Shanghai, but they all closed permanently due to the coronavirus, according to CNA.