Tim Clarke, who as many "old-timers" will know, was the co-founder (with Jennifer Huang) of the original Tienmou Pig & Whistle back in 1989 is once again with us. Alas, a change of ownership and management in the mid-nineties resulted in a change of management and "style". However the original concept of a British style pub with true British style hospitality (not to mention the "bill of fare") has lived on in Kaohsiung. Now the original team is making a come-back with the launch of the newest Pig & Whistle in downtown Hsin Chu.

Herewith our interview with Tim (he will be back in Taiwan in September for those of you who want to catch up with him).

You have been away from Taiwan for quite a while. What have you been doing meanwhile and what brought you back?

My wife, Dawn, and I left Taiwan at the end of 1993 and returned to Cape Town, South Africa primarily to give our children some roots as well as supporting Nelson Mandela, in our own small way, with his big task of rebuilding his "Rainbow Nation". I had planned to open up a Pig & Whistle in Cape Town but for various reasons it didn’t work out. I then went back to my formal profession and became the financial manager of a small private hospital in Cape Town and generally enjoying the wonderful laid back lifestyle that only a city like Cape Town can offer. At the end of last year, 1999, I quit my job and started a small business and while I was getting it all together, Jennifer Huang, General Manager of the Pig & Whistle group, called me up and asked whether I would like to come across to Taiwan for a couple of months as a consultant to help plan and commission their new outlet in Hsinchu. It sounded like a once in a lifetime opportunity so I’ve put my new venture on the back burner for a while and here I am.

What made you decide on a Hsin Chu location for the latest Pig & Whistle?

The group has real estate chaps looking for locations for us in all the major centers throughout the island. We’ve burnt our fingers in the past and we now use a three point simple acid test to see whether the location is suitable. Can we get licences?, Are we going to have problems with the neighbors?, Is the neighborhood conducive to our style of business? In early January this year, a location complying with these requirements arrived on the market in Hsinchu. We then conducted a market survey and the results proved very positive. We signed the lease in March and construction started in April.

Do you have any plans for the Pig & Whistle to re-open in Taipei?

One of our biggest mistakes was selling our Tienmou Pig & Whistle. Not only did we lose a toehold in an influential market, our image and name has suffered as a result of our non-involvement. The sale was on the understanding that certain minimum standards under a management arrangement would be complied with in order to keep the name Pig & Whistle. Unfortunately this has not been the case and we have suffered the consequences. So to answer your question, Yes. We will return to Taipei within the next 18 months to redeem ourselves. We are currently reviewing a number of options and locations and are positive that we will succeed.

What is it about the formula, that has made the Pig & Whistle so popular in Taiwan?

The original formula was to provide the expat families living in Tienmou a good value for money, fun, communal place to meet friends and be entertained. The original formula has evolved somewhat and we realized very early in the development stages that the expat couldn’t really sustain our growth plans. We then came up with an idea to cater for a wider market by offering what we had in Tienmou but then added another floor where we could appeal to the younger set (and not so young) to be entertained with live music and dancing, all under the umbrella and ambience of a traditional British style pub. What we’re finding now is a complete mix of people throughout the 3 floors of the outlet. So, I suppose the formula is that we’ve managed to establish a niche and keep that niche by offering good values and not compromising our standards.

To what market are you primarily catering and has this changed over the years - are you using the same formula as 10 years ago or has it evolved?

I suppose what I’ve seen since returning is the eventual growing up of the business from where pubs all started 25 years ago. Pubs have always had this tainted image of being leftovers from the American forces girlie bar days and it was in the late 70’s and early 80’s that Mike Cottingham pioneered the Ploughmans group in Taipei that marketed itself towards the expatriate family. He successfully managed to start a trend that the Pig & Whistle have continued developing through the 90’s and I think what you have now is a supply of pubs catering for a sophisticated market transcending all groups. Nowadays you can walk into a pub and you’ll have a mix of westerners and Chinese all getting along famously.

Consumer fashion is rapidly changing in Taiwan. In terms of the demands of your customers, what trends are you noticing now?

The Chinese have acquired the art of drinking and eating as a sociable pastime. Gone are the days, in our outlets anyway, that copious quantities of liquor are consumed "ganbei" style until everyone staggers out until the next time. Nowadays, a group of customers are more likely to order a bottle of good Australian Red wine and a few cocktails with their food. The emphasis is more on food than drink, and I think this is a global trend. We encourage responsible drinking which is appreciated by our customers.

The general retail industry in Taiwan is focused increasingly on the development of integrated shopping and entertainment complexes. Do you see any opportunity for the Pig & Whistle to move into these types of locations?

We definitely see a host of opportunities and as a matter of fact we’re busy discussing a location in Kenting with a large group. We would have to tweak our formula slightly to accommodate a slightly different market segment but are very confident of every success in opening in an integrated shopping complex. What we like about this arrangement is that the acid test and the hard work has been done for us (Licenses, neighbors and locality). Hong Kong is a prime example of how successful you can be in a big shopping complex.

How do you see the general pub industry developing in Taiwan over the next five years?

It’s a tough industry and the continual sophistication of a shrinking market will continue. There will still be a place in the industry for the small owner/manager but the road to capturing that ever elusive fickle mass market will be littered with yet more failures. Survival depends on good management and consistency and even the big international brand names are battling to keep market share. The Pig & Whistle group is pretty bullish about the market at the moment and we are busy reviewing a business plan that should see aggressive expansion over the next 5 years with at least 10 outlets.

Does the Pig & Whistle have any plans to move into locations outside of Taiwan?

We have identified at least two off island locations that we are pretty excited about. It’s all a question of logistics and if we can get that right we’ll be in business. Watch this space!