Did the Taichung branch opening event require a 26-hour wait? Tim Ho Wan criticized for hunger marketing

▲Crowds queuing on holidays at Tim Ho Wan Taipei Main Station Branch. (Photo / Huang Shiyuan)

Reporter Huang Shiyuan / Taipei

Tim Ho Wan’s Taichung branch is set to open at 12:40 PM on June 12, accompanied by an opening event where the first person in line can win NT$8,888 in food vouchers. However, the official announcement stated that queuing would begin at 10:00 AM on the previous day (June 11), and participants could not leave the line—meaning people would have to wait 26 hours for a chance to win, drawing criticism for deliberate hunger marketing tactics. Tim Ho Wan explained that based on past experience and fairness considerations, they allowed pre-opening day queuing. They also stated they will continue to learn and improve on areas that were not handled perfectly this time.

Tim Ho Wan’s Taichung branch is set to open on June 12, along with an opening event where the top three people in line can win NT$8,888, NT$6,666, and NT$2,222 in food vouchers respectively, while the first 100 groups of customers can receive lucky chopsticks and a one-meal voucher for a draw among the Four Heavenly Kings dishes. However, the official announcement stated that queuing would begin at 10:00 AM on the previous day (June 11), and participants could not leave the line—meaning people would have to wait 26 hours for a chance to win. Some netizens criticized the move as deliberate hunger marketing.

Although some netizens criticized the 26-hour queue and no-leaving rule as unreasonable, others questioned whether the date was a typo. Still, other commenters said Tim Ho Wan did nothing wrong—by clearly stating the rules from the start, those willing to queue would do so, while those who don’t want to wait can go later. Another netizen pointed out that clear queuing announcements and regulations help avoid disputes.

In response, Tim Ho Wan stated that based on past experiences with promotional events run by the brand and its partners, it’s common for consumers to start queuing a day early. To ensure fairness in the promotion and to avoid difficulties in determining the rightful winners, they decided to set the start date of the event as the day before. They expressed gratitude for all customer feedback. They also noted they will continue to learn and improve on areas that were not handled perfectly this time, using them as important references for future events.


▲One of Tim Ho Wan’s Four Heavenly Kings dishes: radish cake. (Photo / Chen Ziying)