Jesse Opens Nightclub in Taiwan (Late 1960s-Early 1970s)

Overview

After relocating to Taiwan in 1968, Jesse Chan opened a nightclub/supper club that operated as a restaurant during the day and entertainment venue at night. The establishment featured a live orchestra every evening, an MC (master of ceremonies), singing performances, and magic shows. Jesse worked late every night, often closing up at midnight or 1:00 AM, demonstrating his entrepreneurial ambition and work ethic in building a new life in Taiwan.

The Business Model

Dual Operation

Day and night programming:

Daytime: Restaurant

Food service during business hours
Regular meals for lunch crowd
Betty could visit during daytime (fun for her)
Family-friendly atmosphere
Revenue generation during off-entertainment hours

Nighttime: Nightclub/Supper Club

Evening entertainment programming
Dinner and shows combined
Open until midnight or 1:00 AM (late hours)
Adults primarily (entertainment venue)
Higher revenue potential

Entertainment Programming

Every Night Featured:

Orchestra
- Live music every evening
- Professional musicians hired
- Dance music? (Jesse was excellent dancer)
- Ambiance and sophistication
- Significant expense (orchestra salaries)
Master of Ceremonies (MC)
- Host/presenter for evening
- Introduced acts and entertained between sets
- Kept show moving smoothly
- Professional entertainment management
- Personality to draw crowds
Singing Performances
- “Mostly singing” according to interview
- Professional singers hired
- Popular songs of era
- Main draw for customers
- Variety of performers
Magic Shows
- Occasional magic acts
- Variety entertainment beyond music
- Family-friendly performances
- Special attraction to draw crowds
- Professional magicians hired

Jesse’s Role

Owner-Operator

Jesse’s responsibilities:

Owner (invested capital, took financial risk)
Manager (oversaw operations)
Closer (stayed until last customer left)
Quality control (ensured good shows)
Financial management (handled money)

Long Hours

Jesse’s schedule:

Open until midnight or 1:00 AM every night
Jesse closed up personally each night
Went home late after closing
Betty noted: “He close up and go home already”
Dedication to business success
Work ethic pattern from earlier life (worked day, night school in Manila)

Why Jesse Did Closing

Shows Jesse’s character:

Trusted himself more than employees with money
Hands-on management style
Responsibility for security
Work ethic (didn’t delegate critical tasks)
Control over business operations

Family Connection

Betty’s Participation

Wife’s involvement:

Could go during daytime (restaurant hours)
“Fun for her” according to interview
Saw the venue and operations
Social outlet (meeting people)
But not at night (Jesse worked alone late)

Children’s Memories

Rose, Meg, Louis, Michelle:

Remember the shows (attended performances)
Saw entertainers (singers, magicians)
Witnessed parents’ work (entrepreneurship in action)
Uncle George visited to see shows (Jesse’s friend from Manila)
Family business atmosphere
Ages: Rose (8-18), Meg (5-18), Louis (3-18), Michelle (infant-10) during Taiwan years

Uncle George’s Visits

Friend from Manila:

Uncle George (Betty’s brother, Jesse’s long-time friend)
“Always want to see the shows” when visiting
Entertainment drew him to visit
Jesse and George “always fight” but still close
Business success bringing friends/family to visit Taiwan

Business Context

Taiwan Entertainment Scene (1960s-1970s)

Market environment:

Growing economy (Taiwan economic miracle)
Expatriate community (Americans, Europeans, Filipino-Chinese)
Local elite (businesspeople, professionals)
Entertainment demand (nightlife, dining, shows)
Competition from other venues
Opportunity for entrepreneurs like Jesse

Startup Challenges

What Jesse faced:

Hiring orchestra (professional musicians)
Finding entertainers (singers, magicians, MC)
Equipment (stage, sound system, lighting)
Food service (kitchen, staff, supplies)
Licensing (Taiwan government permits)
Marketing (attracting customers)
Financial investment (capital requirements)

Why This Business?

Jesse’s Skills

What prepared him:

Social personality (“Happy Dreamers” member, befriended Japanese colonel)
Excellent dancer (understood entertainment appeal)
Good voice (Betty praised his singing)
Loved music (especially Spanish music)
Business experience (Eastern Textile purchasing manager)
Brave/risk-taking (“over brave” personality)

Market Opportunity

Why nightclub made sense:

Taiwan growing economically (demand for entertainment)
Jesse’s friend “enticed” them to Taiwan for business (partner?)
Expatriate community wanted Western-style entertainment
Jesse’s background (Filipino-Chinese, international)
Gap in market? (opportunity identified)

Financial Reality

High Costs

Running nightclub required:

Orchestra salaries (every night - expensive!)
Entertainer fees (singers, magicians, MC)
Venue rent/purchase (commercial space)
Food costs (restaurant operations)
Staff salaries (servers, kitchen, security)
Equipment maintenance (sound, lighting, furniture)
Marketing (attracting customers)

Revenue Streams

Income from:

Cover charges (admission to shows)
Food sales (restaurant day and night)
Drink sales (alcohol likely major profit)
Special events (private parties?)
Regular customers (building loyalty)

Jesse’s Hours = Investment

Why he worked so late:

Protecting investment (cash management)
Building business (ensuring quality)
Customer relations (being present as owner)
Cost control (preventing theft/waste)
Maximizing profits (hands-on management)

Duration and Transition

Early 1970s Ending (Approximate)

Why business ended:

Time-intensive (late hours, every night)
Better opportunities (real estate more profitable?)
Age/energy (Jesse getting older, late nights harder)
Family considerations (children growing, needed father present?)
Market changes (competition, economy?)
Strategic pivot (move to real estate development)

Transition to Real Estate

Jesse’s next venture:

Real estate became longest/biggest business
Cherry Hill development (three-story buildings)
Houses on the Hill (big hillside houses)
Less time-intensive than nightclub (no late nights)
More scalable (build and sell vs. daily operations)
More profitable? (real estate boom in Taiwan)

Impact on Family Life

Jesse’s Absence

Late-night work meant:

Gone every evening (open until 1 AM)
Betty managing children alone at night
Limited family dinners together
Weekends? (likely worked those too)
Sacrifice for business success

Financial Pressure

Why Jesse worked so hard:

Four children to support (ages ~3-13 during nightclub years)
Expensive education planned (Taipei American School)
Building financial security after Eastern Textile board split
New country (establishing themselves in Taiwan)
Investment in family’s future

Educational Investment

The goal:

Taipei American School cost $10,000/year by 1986
Four children = potentially $40,000/year
Jesse and Betty worked hard to afford this
Nightclub revenue helped fund education
Pattern: Jesse sacrificed (time, energy) for children’s future
Echo: Jesse gave up own college so brothers could attend

Business Lessons

Entrepreneurial Courage

Jesse’s approach:

Tried new business after factory work
Entertainment (very different from textile purchasing)
High risk (labor-intensive, competitive)
Not afraid to fail
Learning through doing

Work Ethic

Jesse’s dedication:

Every night until 1 AM
Years of this schedule
Age (late 30s-early 40s - not young)
No shortcuts (did closing himself)
Family motivation (children’s future)

Transition Ability

Jesse’s adaptability:

Factory worker (purchasing manager) → nightclub owner → real estate developer
Multiple career pivots
Learning new industries
Risk-taking with each transition
Success across different fields

Comparison to Other Ventures

Eastern Textile (1950s-1967)

Employee (purchasing manager, board member)
Steady income (salary)
Both Jesse and Betty worked there
Ended with board split (forced change)

Nightclub (Late 1960s-Early 1970s)

Owner (his own business)
Variable income (profit-based)
Jesse primarily (Betty visited days)
Ended by choice (transitioned to real estate)

Real Estate (1970s-1980s)

Developer (building and selling)
Higher profits (more scalable)
Better hours (not open late every night)
Longest/biggest business
Ended with move to Los Angeles (1990s)

Cultural Context

Filipino-Chinese Business Community

Jesse’s network:

Uncle Henry (good friend from Manila in Taiwan)
Uncle George (visited to see shows)
“Happy Dreamers” club connections (Manila network)
Eastern Textile connections (former colleagues in Taiwan)
Fil-American Association (Betty’s community org)

Taiwan Entertainment Scene

1960s-1970s context:

Chinese opera traditional entertainment
Western-style nightclubs emerging
Japanese influence (occupation era legacy)
American influence (military presence, expats)
Local elite adopting Western leisure activities

Jesse’s “Real Estate is Really Simple” Philosophy

Why He Left Nightclub

From interview:

“Real estate is really simple. You just look at the land, you like it, you just buy it. Then we build a house. That’s it.”

This quote suggests:

Nightclub was complicated (too many moving parts)
Real estate simpler (less daily management)
Scalable (build multiple properties)
Less time-intensive (no late nights every night)
More predictable (construction vs. entertainment)

Jesse’s Business Evolution

Learning curve:

Purchasing manager (employee, buying supplies)
Nightclub owner (operations-intensive, entertainment)
Real estate developer (build and sell, simpler model)

Each step taught him what he preferred.

Legacy

What Children Learned

Rose, Meg, Louis, Michelle saw:

Entrepreneurship in action (risk-taking)
Work ethic (late nights for years)
Entertainment industry (shows, performers)
Father’s dedication (closing up personally each night)
Family sacrifice (Dad gone evenings for business)
Adaptability (trying new ventures)

Influence on Next Generation

Did any follow Jesse’s path?

Rose: Attorney (not entrepreneur)
Warren: Attorney + winemaker (Cardinal Rule Wines!)
- Warren’s winery echoes Jesse’s nightclub (lifestyle business, creative venture)
- Both require late hours and dedication
- Both about creating experiences (wine/entertainment)

Family Story

Nightclub became:

Lolo’s adventure (when he was brave entrepreneur)
Taiwan years memory (children remember shows)
Uncle George story (visiting to see entertainment)
Jesse’s work ethic example (home at 1 AM every night)
Building family’s future (funded education)

Unanswered Questions

Jesse Chan’s nightclub venture in late 1960s-early 1970s Taiwan demonstrated his entrepreneurial courage and work ethic—opening a supper club with live orchestra, MC, singers, and magic shows that operated until 1 AM every night with Jesse personally closing up, sacrificing time with young family to build financial security and fund children’s elite education, before transitioning to real estate development which Jesse found “really simple” compared to the complexity of daily entertainment operations.

Loui Family

Explorer