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On the Menu | Forget restaurants lasting decades. In Hong Kong, surviving a year is cause for celebration these days, and 10 years little short of a miracle for some
- A few restaurants in Hong Kong have lasted decades. They are the exception. Fickle palates, sky-high rents and short leases mean the pressure is on from day 1
- It’s no wonder some make a big deal of their first anniversary, as Racines will this month. Meanwhile, independent Little Bao is marking 10 years in business
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Hong Kong is a city where even the first anniversary of a restaurant opening is a big deal. There’s fanfare, special celebration dinners, perhaps even a guest chef brought in to share in the revelry of the occasion.
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How could it not be an important milestone when even successful restaurants struggle to survive? When you’re expected to break even within the first one to two years, because that’s how long your lease is?
Hong Kong’s relatively short history and post-war success means that even its oldest restaurants tend to be less than half a century old. Exceptions include stalwarts such as Tai Ping Koon, established in 1860; Luk Yu Tea House, which has been serving tea and dim sum since 1933, still standing proud in Stanley Street, Central; and, until it closed in 2022, Lin Heung Teahouse, which had opened in 1918.
Jimmy’s Kitchen, launched in 1928 and shut in 2020, will be making a comeback in early 2024.
In the 21st century, Hong Kong’s accelerating development has meant venues come and go at an alarming pace. Rents skyrocket, palates are fickle, and circumstances such as labour crunches and inflation eat away continuously at the bottom line.
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