Reasons for the drop in night market crowds: Brother Jie says food is expensive, bad, and not filling!

Visitor numbers at major domestic tourist spots such as Kenting and Taroko have sharply declined, and even well-known night market districts are experiencing a "tourism avalanche." Some night market operators believe that weak consumer spending among Taiwanese people is a major factor, and this issue has sparked widespread discussion online. Why aren’t people going to night markets anymore? Well-known internet personality “Brother Jie” Li Bingjie also shared his views on Facebook, stating that it’s directly related to food being “expensive, bad, and not filling.”

On Facebook, Brother Jie pointed out that not only are tourist attractions seeing fewer visitors, but she feels the same about night markets, saying, “because the food is expensive, bad, and doesn’t fill you up.” She highlighted that “the current prices at night markets mean you need to spend at least NT$300 to NT$500 just to get full, and any random snack starts at NT$80 or NT$100, completely losing the affordable and generous nature of night markets.” She also noted that there are too many duplicate stalls selling the same food, and the portion sizes are all very small.

Brother Jie said she loves visiting night markets and would often go on Saturday and Sunday nights when bored, but she noticed that “in the past, during holidays, big night markets like Raohe Street, Tonghua, and the Teachers’ College area were always packed to the point of being unbearable. Now, only Shilin still has decent crowds.” She feels that night markets in recent years have become completely “empty,” adding, “It’s not that there are no people at all, but it’s a far cry from the past, when they were so crowded you could barely move.”

Other netizens responded to her post, saying things like, “There’s just too much repetition and everything is so expensive,” “Many night markets have only themselves to blame for being expensive, bad, and not filling,” “The night market avalanche is caused by those habitual profiteers at the markets,” and “Many food stalls at night markets start cutting corners once they gain a reputation.” However, some still believe “some night markets are still great value,” while others have called on the government to address the issue of soaring raw material costs. One person even humorously replied, “Please negotiate with the vendors yourselves—BY French cuisine.”

Content of Brother Jie’s Facebook post. (Screenshot from Brother Jie / Li Bingjie’s Facebook)