Jamie’s Italian to shut restaurants in Hong Kong, Taipei this week as coronavirus outbreak adds to protests in keeping diners away

Jamie’s Italian, the chain of upmarket eateries started by the British celebrity chef and restaurateur Jamie Oliver, said it would shut its two Hong Kong franchises and Taipei restaurant by the end of this week.

The chain’s Taipei restaurant at the Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Xinyi Place shopping centre will cease operating on February 27 and the two Hong Kong franchises in Causeway Bay and Harbour City will shut on February 28 .

The three outlets, which opened with the Causeway Bay flagship in 2014 over three consecutive years, had been facing a “challenging period,” especially in the second half of 2019, when mainland Chinese tourists and shoppers stayed away from Hong Kong during the anti-government protests, according to a statement by Big Cat Group, which owns the restaurant franchise.

Business in Hong Kong “experienced a major drop” due to the protests, with fourth-quarter sales shrinking by 20 to 35 per cent from a year ago, Big Cat said in an interview with South China Morning Post. The outbreak of the coronavirus, which deterred even city residents from eating out or gathering in public places, worsened the situation.

The outbreak, which has sickened more than 80,000 people and killed 2,763 patients globally, has afflicted 85 people in Hong Kong at last count, with two deaths. Thirty one people caught the coronavirus in Taiwan, with one fatality.

To contain the virus’ spread, Hong Kong’s government has extended school holidays, and instructed civil servants to work from home. That prompted businesses to follow, causing millions of people to be homebound.