Two unlicensed restaurants say they are still allowed to trade
One of three restaurants in a luxury development that have been prosecuted for operating without licences closed yesterday, but two others continued to defy government efforts to shut them.
Pacific Coffee and Curry-in-a-Hurry stayed open at Langham Place in Mong Kok, with the latter claiming it was the norm in Hong Kong for restaurants to trade while their licence applications are being processed.
But Cousin Cousin Cafe, which had been open until Tuesday, closed down.
Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene Gregory Leung Wing-lup told legislators on Tuesday the three restaurants had been prosecuted twice and the department was applying to the courts to have them closed.
A spokesman for the Curry-in-a-Hurry chain said it used to be normal for restaurants to get a licence before launching business operations, 'but now I think the norm is changing'.
He declined to comment on what losses the company would incur if it had to close the outlet, but said it remained optimistic it would be granted a licence soon.