Feast or FamineStealing delivery or takeaway orders hurts restaurants already bleeding from Covid-19 and is especially wrong right now

The theft of Susan Jung’s tarte Tatin highlights a problem of people picking up other people’s orders at restaurants amid greater takeaway and delivery demand

Restaurants are in a bad way right now and can do without the cost of preparing food twice

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A tarte Tatin from Belon in Hong Kong’s Central district, no doubt similar to one Susan Jung had ordered from the restaurant before it was picked up by her ‘driver’. Photo: Margaret Lam

Published: 10:15am, 29 Aug 2020Updated: 10:15am, 29 Aug 2020

An extremely odd thing happened to me recently.

At the beginning of last week, I messaged Daniel Calvert, the chef of Belon in Central, asking if I could order his delicious tarte Tatin, which I wanted to eat one last time before he leaves Hong Kong to open a restaurant at the Four Seasons Tokyo at Marunouchi. I told him I could pick it up a few days later – on Friday or Saturday – whichever was more convenient for him. He said yes and that he would let me know when it was ready.

On Friday morning, Calvert messaged me to say that the dessert would be ready that day, and that I could go to Belon around 4pm. I excitedly mentioned this to some friends at the sushi bar we were eating at. Soon after the appointed time, I made my way up to the restaurant on Elgin Street.

“I’m here to pick up the tarte Tatin,” I said to a friendly staff member. I received an odd look: “But Susan, your driver picked it up!” I thought it was a joke – I don’t have driver, and I certainly didn’t send anyone to pick it up – why would I be there? “A guy with glasses came here and said he was picking up an order. Since yours was the only order, we asked ‘Is this for Susan?’ and he said ‘Yes, for Susan Jung.’”

Someone had taken my tarte Tatin.

And asked for (and received) some of Calvert’s fantastic sourdough bread, too.

Daniel Calvert, head chef of Belon. Photo: Xiaomei Chen