It is perhaps for this reason that many of Hong Kong's family-run restaurants eventually close down or sell out to larger corporations.

But, in a generational about-face, the younger generation is finding its way back to its culinary roots.

'We've always felt Fook Lam Moon was something very precious,' says Michele Chui. 'And it would be a shame to see it change into something different. There's no one you can hire that will understand the philosophy of a place like your family.'

In 2004, Lau Chun, the only son of restaurateur and former art critic Lau Kin-wai, also joined up with his dad after pursuing studies in Australia to become a landscape architect. At the time, the elder Lau was formulating plans to open his second restaurant, Kin's Kitchen in Tin Hau, following the success of his debut restaurant, Yellow Door Kitchen, which opened in Central in 1990.

'I never pushed him,' says the elder Lau about his son's decision to enter the food industry. To which Lau Chun says he has always had a passion for cooking 'beyond just a simple hobby'.

Restaurant life is no dream. Former artist Wong Hai, who opened his Sichuan homestyle restaurant, Da Ping Huo, with his wife, former singer Wong Siu-king, more than 12 years ago, says: 'People who own restaurants are a little strange. You have to enjoy the torturous hours and hard labour. However difficult you've heard it is, it's even worse.'

Other restaurateurs agree with this but say the job has its benefits. The prospect of being the one in charge, rather than just an employee, led Brian McGettigan Jnr to leave his position as an advertising executive to work with father Brian McGettigan Snr, in their Australian restaurant Coast, which opened last year.

'Brian told me: 'Dad, if I stay in the advertising business, I'll never be the boss',' recalls McGettigan Snr. 'And now I'm happy to welcome him back into the family business.'

Getting used to the restaurant business comes naturally for those who grew up with it. 'It's a lifetime education,' says McGettigan Snr, whose own parents ran hotels and restaurants since he was four years old. 'There are so many small things that you pick up, like how to interact with your customers and suppliers. That just becomes second nature.'

Lau Kin-wai says: 'The most important part isn't learning how exactly to run the operations of a restaurant. It is learning to have imagination.' He explains that he raised his son to actively explore new ingredients and cuisines. These days, Lau Chun visits the market daily to search for inspirations for their menu.

Daniel Chui, who recalls eating takeaways from Fook Lam Moon almost nightly when growing up because 'dad wasn't a fan of mum's cooking', says: 'There's a saying in Chinese that it takes three generations to develop the right taste level.'

And sister Michele adds: 'If you want to know how to run a good restaurant, you've got to learn how to appreciate good food yourself. Dad would spend an entire month's salary on a meal with the family, and he felt it was worthwhile. You can't be counting pennies if you want to really educate yourself about food.'

Wong Hai of Da Ping Huo reckons the lack of formal and standardised training makes family-owned restaurants stand apart from their competition. 'Maybe it's because we haven't picked up some of the bad habits from a commercial kitchen that is focused on production,' he says.

'My wife has never cooked for more than 40 people at one time, so the way she cooks for friends and family is the exact same way she cooks for customers.'

The same 12 dishes have been on the menu since the restaurant opened, and no special requests or substitutions are accepted. 'It's my way or the highway,' Wong says, adding that customers keep returning because they're dealing with a human face, rather than a corporate entity.

The slow transfer of these family-owned eateries into the hands of a younger generation is a delicate one. 'A brand and reputation as old as ours is both a blessing and a burden,' says Daniel Chui, adding that he and his sister never want to franchise the name, or become a corporate-owned institution.

'Right now, our biggest focus is on consistency,' Michele Chui says. 'It can seem like we're not doing much, but trust me, we are. Ironically, keeping things the same requires a lot of work, because everything is constantly changing. The flavour of ingredients change, and our customers can tell even if there is a tiniest alteration to the type of choi sum we source.'

The Chuis are expanding slowly - a branch in Beijing is scheduled to open within six months. As the business grows, the family has also established some basic boundaries for a proper division of labour.

'We have meetings four times a week now,' says Daniel Chui. 'And we'll even raise our hands and take a vote if we need to.'

The Laus and the McGettigans have also assigned members of the family to dedicated roles.

'My mother takes care of the paperwork, and I manage the staff and work with the chef on the menu. And my dad will be hosting the customers,' says Lau Chun.

At Coast, the younger McGettigan handles the marketing side, his eldest sister Katie focuses on 'crossing the T's and dotting the I's' while McGettigan Snr says: 'I get the easiest job. I get to spend time socialising and sending out a few bottles if I see customers having a good time.'

Both the McGettigans and the Laus are exploring new avenues for growth. The latter are launching Cathay Pacific in-flight meals in August, and the former will open a Coast in Singapore before the end of the year. 'Just because we're family-owned doesn't mean we're small,' says McGettigan Snr. 'I'm in my mid-60s now, and was about to retire. But now with my kids involved, my hope is to have 10 outlets throughout Asia before I turn 70.'

For the Wongs, who have no children to whom to pass on the baton, a different future awaits.

'I think it's time to retire soon, probably within the next six months,' Wong Hai says. 'My wife has been cooking every night in the kitchen for 12 years non-stop. Her fingers have been roughened up from seasoning every plate of spice with her bare hands. A family restaurant is difficult to sustain because it requires you to physically be in it every day.

'It's about time to end it,' he says, a bit wistfully. 'But a different food concept? Maybe ... ' he adds with a wink.