Coronavirus shakes up Hong Kong restaurant scene, with new players opening cafes, veterans chasing lower rents in residential areas
- As Hong Kong’s tourist spots go quiet, new eateries sprout in older districts, far-flung areas
- Entrepreneurs brave uncertainties, open 2,700 new restaurants as pandemic drives rents down
The stamped metal gate blends in with the row of shops selling fabrics and auto accessories along a narrow street in Sham Shui Po, one of the poorest districts in Hong Kong.
But the unmistakable aroma of roasted coffee beans wafting from the entrance of Cofflow, a cafe opened by Gary Tse Kin-seng in late January, sets it apart from its neighbours.
After more than a decade working as a chef in restaurants and hotels, the 35-year-old decided to make his long-time dream of owning a coffee shop come true.
The pandemic proved the trigger and, in a way, provided the opportunity.
“If a cafe had hired me as a full-time barista, I might not have had the chance to open my own coffee shop,” he says. “The pandemic forced me to think about it. I had the money, so why not?”
It helped that rents had come down throughout the health crisis.