The cash-rich Macau government is planning another big giveaway - after a 2.6 billion pataca bonus scheme for all residents - to support 100 small yet well-known restaurants in the former Portuguese enclave.
Each selected eatery will enjoy a one-off bonus of up to 200,000 patacas under the programme, which is intended to boost the city's non-gaming allure and help out some old restaurants struggling with inflation and a labour shortage.
But the programme has drawn a mixed response from some small restaurants, with a number jostling to apply and others unimpressed.
Alan Leong Sek-fai, owner of 33-year-old Cafe Kam Ma Lon, has applied for the bonus, hoping to give his restaurant a facelift with the money. 'My family has been running the restaurant for decades and we really want to carry on the business despite a fast-shrinking profit margin,' Mr Leong said.
'We are very confident about being selected because of our reputation among locals and tourists.'
Surging prices for oil and flour had squeezed Kam Ma Lon's gross profits to 30 per cent from 60 per cent in the past two years, Mr Leong said.
