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The custom of holding banquets, commonly referred to as Bando (literally means “to set tables”)in Taiwan, is one attached to life rituals.It is a custom of the common folk that best expresses Taiwanese food culture. Due to the growingly stricter requirements of the Environmental Quality Act, as well as the restaurant industry suffering under a sluggish Taiwanese economy, the number of catering service providers has shown an upward trend in recent years. However, this has created a number of issues, e.g. hygiene, noise and traffic jam, that have severely impacted the traditional Bando industry, which is characterized by its flexibility to provide catering service. Nonetheless, there are still chefs who have persisted and flourished in the Bando industry, unscathed by the abovementioned issues. Hence, this paper presents a case study of A-Yong Jia Catering Service, and examines its sustainable management strategies and transformation process. This paper further analyzes data stored in its reservation database, and conducts on-site observations of banquets. Findings of the study are as follows: A-Yong Jia Group sequentially established A-Yong Jia Catering Service, Cultural Plaza and Splendid Restaurant, and then set up Crown Prince Business Firm and A-Yong Jia Food Products Co., Ltd., implementing corporate management in the traditional Bando industry. Furthermore, A-Yong Jia introduced the concept of mobile catering from Europe, and refitted the first mobile catering vehicle in Taiwan, which was a pricy investment. This shows that A-Yong Jia has its own unique take on transforming the Bando industry – sustainable operation can only be achieved through constant change, adjustment and improvement.
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