Hong Kong’s ailing restaurants ask mainland Chinese operators for survival tips, call on veteran singers to strike a chord with diners
- Restaurateurs say they have used every tactic to lure customers, from issuing coupons to hosting small-scale concerts amid drop in business
- Some have called on seasoned entertainers such as ex-TVB actor and singer Lee Lung-kei to perform at their venues and help fill tables
Hong Kong’s beleaguered dining industry has turned to its counterparts in mainland China for survival tips, with some operators resorting to staging small shows by veteran singers to lure customers amid closures and a drop in business.
Several restaurant owners told the Post they had used every possible tactic to attract diners, from issuing coupons and rolling out new offerings to slashing the prices of set meals, linking up with other operators and putting on small-scale concerts.
Operators said they had turned to seasoned entertainers such as 73-year-old former TVB actor and singer Lee Lung-kei, who was among the most popular bookings, as they looked to improve the atmosphere and draw in customers.
Simon Wong Ka-wo, president of the Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants and Related Trades, estimated that more than 700 restaurants had shut down in the past few months amid a trend of diners increasingly heading north and overseas, while over 400 outlets had been set up.
“The wave of business closures may be worsening, especially in April as restaurants have been hard hit by outflows of customers to the mainland and overseas,” he said.
Wong pointed out that some outlets had begun asking counterparts in neighbouring Shenzhen and other mainland cities for advice on managing areas such as cost control and digital tools as they grappled with the bleak conditions.