The government has breathed new life into Central's dai pai dong but the stalls have grown too big, say neighbouring shop owners in Stanley Street.
Four dai pai dong stalls - traditional eating places established in open areas under canvas - were last year given permission to remain at the end of Stanley Street.
But while the project was approved by the district council, owners of shops and buildings in the area said they were not consulted.
Some were shocked when a person running a dai pai dong planted four canvas stands, all one-storey tall, into the road. The poles could block the entry of fire engines and the big canvas would block some shops from public sight, they said.
'I noticed the four stands were erected last Saturday. They are tall and they are fixed to the ground, that's the problem,' shop owner Martin Lam said.
They stand in the way near the emergency exits of some buildings, and the tables and canvases would block fire trucks, he added.
Lam and other owners were also unhappy that a public survey on the preservation of the stalls covered other districts in Hong Kong but not their neighbourhood. Apart from the width and length of the preservation area, the group did not know details of the plan, another shop owner, who did not want to be named, said.