Xinhua News Agency, Hong Kong, August 22 : The chill in August - Hong Kong catering industry scan
Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Binbin
"During this period, our restaurant business is worse than SARS and the 2008 financial crisis, and is more terrifying than the 'cold winter'. We have to worry about whether we have 'freezing to death'." Many Hong Kong catering practitioners interviewed told reporters that over the past two months, the business of Hong Kong catering industry has been greatly affected, with sales decreasing, and some restaurants have even closed down and employees have been unemployed.
Restaurant business has dropped significantly. Looking forward to getting back to life as soon as possible
Bridge Spicy Crab is a restaurant located in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong. August is the peak season, and 7 pm should be the peak period for dining. When the reporter arrived, he found that the business on the first floor was relatively deserted, and the lights on the second and third floors were turned off.
"In the past two months, our business income has decreased by more than 60% and our customers have decreased by 60% or 70%. We are currently losing two to three million Hong Kong dollars a month." The boss Huang Qingtuan said, "The store was opened in three floors before, and there was still a queue at peak hours. Now we can't even sit there if we only open one floor."
On August 20, Huang Qingtuan (formerly), the owner of Hong Kong Bridge Underground Spicy Crab, told reporters that the business was bleak. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Qin Qing
To make matters worse, Huang Qingtuan opened a new hot pot restaurant next to the old store in July, but unexpectedly, he encountered difficulties when the decoration was completed and the business was very poor.
Quanfa Seafood Restaurant, which is separated from the spicy crab at the bottom of the bridge, has closed in August. The restaurant door has been pulled up to the iron gate, which is contrasted with the lively scenes in the past. More than one person has closed business. During an interview, the reporter found that the Cuihua Tea Restaurant in Sheffield Road, Causeway Bay, and the two snack shops in Wan Chai, , were also closed.
also feels a little breathless. Wu Ruikang, the owner of Hangzhou Restaurant. "It's not only the cold winter, but also the cold. I can't see when I can come back to life." Wu Ruikang said that his restaurant was opened during the SARS period. He had never lost money in the financial crisis in 2008, and now he has started to lose money.
Not only did the catering industry in Causeway Bay and Wan Chai, the two commercial centers, have been greatly impacted, but the Lan Kwai Fong , where bars and restaurants gather, was also not "survived". Chef Zheng Jinfu, the chef of the Hong Kong Lan Kwai Fong Celebrity House, said that their reservations have been reduced a lot now, and some reservations were later cancelled.
The restaurant has also been greatly impacted. The Six Kingdoms Hotel in Wan Chai was founded in 1933 and is a time-honored hotel in Hong Kong. Cen Deming, the catering operation manager of Liuguo Hotel (Chinese cuisine), said that the restaurant was renovated in July, avoiding the impact of a month. Currently, the turnover has dropped by 25% to 30%, and there are almost no customers on the weekends recently, so the next business is still difficult to talk about.
This is the interior of the new Hong Kong Bridge Spicy Crab Store taken on August 20. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Qin Qing
catering industry both volume and price fall . The unemployment rate rises and people are panicking
. The Financial Secretary for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government Chan Mo-po said that Hong Kong's catering industry faces great challenges. In the second quarter of 2019, the total income of Hong Kong restaurants was HK$28.7 billion, down 0.4% year-on-year. Compared with the previous quarter after seasonal adjustment, it fell 4.6%. It is the worst situation in ten years and the first time since 2009 that the volume and price fell 2019. The high fixed costs of shop rent and labor are high, which brings great operating pressure to catering stores.
On August 20, Huang Jiahe, President of the Hong Kong Catering Federation Association, introduced the losses in the catering industry. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Qin Qing
, President of the Hong Kong Catering Federation Association, Huang Jiahe introduced that the Hong Kong catering industry lost about HK$2 billion in June and July, and is estimated to lose HK$3 billion in August.
"Hong Kong has more than 20,000 restaurants, employing more than 300,000 employees, which is an important pillar of Hong Kong's economy. At present, many of the listed tea chains have closed branches, and many restaurants have also closed down, and many employees have lost their jobs and no livelihoods." Huang Jiahe said that continuing will be more serious than the "cold winter".
Due to the lack of customers, Huang Qingtuan asked many employees to go home for a break and rest. "Many employees have worked here for many years and cannot bear to dismiss them. Let them rest first and then ask them to come back if they have business."
On August 20, Wu Ruikang, the owner of a restaurant in Hangzhou, Hong Kong, introduced the situation at the restaurant.Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Qin Qing
Hangzhou restaurant clerk Wang Xuemei said that a colleague worked in Central and could not withstand the pressure and the store closed down. I have done so much restaurant business, so I am worried about my livelihood, and people who work in the catering industry are in panic.
The Statistics Department of the SAR Government announced that the seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in Hong Kong from May to July 2019 was 2.9%, higher than the 2.8% from April to June, and the total number of employment decreased by about 3,300. Luo Chi-kwang, Director of the Labor and Welfare Bureau of the SAR Government, said that Hong Kong's current consumption continues to be weak, resulting in a higher overall unemployment rate in the retail, accommodation and dietary services industries than in the previous period.
Hong Kong Food Expo is declining. The catering industry looks forward to tide over the difficulties as soon as possible.
Hong Kong is the international food capital. The annual international food expo is a symbol of the catering industry. In mid-August, the Food Expo was held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center as scheduled, but exhibitors clearly felt the "chillness" this year. Li Jiasheng, marketing director of the Italian alcoholic party who came to the Food Expo to participate, said that the food exhibition reduced the passenger flow by half on the weekend. They had a business of HK$1 million at the 2018 exhibition, which was half this year.
Huang Jiahe introduced that at this year's Hong Kong Food Expo, the number of participating citizens decreased by 15% to 20%, and the number of buyers decreased by 30%. A country he knew originally planned to have more than 100 exhibitors going to Hong Kong, but in the end, 10 exhibitors were cancelled and could not come.
The impact of Hong Kong's catering industry is just a microcosm of Hong Kong's economy.
Hong Kong SAR government economic adviser Ou Xixiong recently said that the average year-on-year growth of Hong Kong's economy in the first half of 2019 was 0.5%, which is the worst performance since the economic recession in Hong Kong after the global financial tsunami in 2009.
Zheng Jinfu said that Hong Kong is a tourist food city, and the reduction in tourists directly affects the livelihoods of Hong Kong's service industry personnel. Now all the businesses are operating in dismal places, and many restaurants have been closed. I hope the current situation can be improved as soon as possible. Wu Ruikang also looks forward to the SAR government helping the catering industry overcome difficulties.
The SAR government recently announced a series of measures to reduce the operating pressure of small and medium-sized enterprises, including exempting 27 types of government fees for a period of 12 months, benefiting many industries such as maritime, logistics, retail, food, fishery, agriculture, construction, and tourism.
