Hong Kong restaurant doubles down on insistence it will only serve Cantonese speakers
- Kwong Wing Catering says staff don’t speak Mandarin, in move seen as attempt to deter customers from mainland China
- Equal Opportunities Commission wades into row and advises owners to change stance
The outspoken owners of a popular Hong Kong restaurant chain who supported anti-government protesters have doubled down on their insistence that staff would only serve Hongkongers “and friends from Taiwan”, despite being told it was unlawful to do so.
Kwong Wing Catering, which operates a popular chain of local diners, posted notices at several of its outlets late last month that said staff did not speak Mandarin, a stance interpreted as it deterring customers from mainland China during the coronavirus outbreak.
Late on Sunday, the owners said staff would continue to only speak Cantonese, despite the Equal Opportunities Commission advising it to remove the notices.
On Saturday, the restaurant claimed it had been told during a call with the commission that it would be prosecuted if it served some groups of people and not others.
In a Facebook post the owners vented their anger at the Hong Kong government, and repeated their claim that none of their waiters could speak Mandarin.