License not renewed: Taiwan’s first official Chibi Maruko-chan themed restaurant closes

▲Taiwan’s first official Chibi Maruko-chan themed restaurant has closed. (Photo / Huang Shiyuan)

Reported by Huang Shiyuan / Taipei

The first officially licensed Chibi Maruko-chan themed restaurant overseas opened last (2016) October. However, just as it reached its one-year anniversary, the restaurant’s official Facebook page suddenly posted an announcement on October 1 stating that it would temporarily cease operations starting that day. Restaurant owner Mr. Huang explained that after the initial one-year licensing agreement expired, they had planned to negotiate an extension and even considered opening a branch in Taichung. But the two parties could not reach a consensus on the licensing terms, leading to the restaurant’s closure after October 1. The sudden shutdown left many fans disappointed and some even made fruitless trips to visit.

When the Chibi Maruko-chan themed restaurant began trial operations in September 2016, its booking line was flooded with calls from enthusiastic fans on the first day reservations opened, keeping the phone lines busy for 12 hours straight. Meanwhile, the restaurant’s self-built reservation website also crashed due to overwhelming simultaneous traffic, exceeding the server’s capacity. The issue was eventually resolved through collaboration with the reservation website partner.