Dining

Restaurants in a post-Covid world Will our F&B scene ever be the same again? Apple Lee asks

Hong Kong, like many cities around the world, is reeling from the effects of the coronavirus outbreak. Since late March, the city’s restaurants have been implementing social distancing measures including allowing no more than four people at each table, keeping 1.5 metres apart between each table and requiring guests to wear face masks when they are not eating. These measures mean that many restaurants are rethinking the way they operate to keep their doors open amid the ongoing pandemic.

When looking ahead to the rest of 2020, the future remains unclear. Under this climate of uncertainty, restaurants are facing immense pressure to act quickly and put together various contingency plans.

Malcolm Wood

Co-Founder and Group Managing Director of Maximal Concepts

Hong Kong is highly unlikely to see a return of international tourism within 2020, so we need to look towards our local community for domestic business and see better regulations and better support from our own government. Without these two things, the future of the industry is uncertain.

Bart Szyniec

Founder of Ask for Alonzo

It will be no surprise that 2020 will be very hard for the F&B industry. With high rents, low margins and declining revenue, not many operators will survive. The coronavirus will last for at least six to 12 months, which will change the dining scene completely.

It is maybe finally the time to look into lease laws and rent ratios across Hong Kong, it has been unreasonable for a very long time compared to the rest of the world, and we have a chance to change the market for the better for years to come.

Battle-Ready Leadership Business magnate Jonathan Zeman sheds light on Lan Kwai Fong’s darker times

Manuel Palacio

Co-Founder of Pirata Group

Manuel Palacio

2020 is a big year for reset, reflection and change. There will always be new opportunities once things calm down, a lot of opportunities that we don’t know of at the moment. We all have to start from zero and that’s where creativity comes into play.

Creating great guest experiences will continue to be at the top of our priorities. We will all have to become more guest-centric than ever. There is a high chance that casual dining and great value for money will be the way forward, but we can’t anticipate at this moment.

I think that those who listen and adapt will do well, perhaps not in a few months’ time but in 12 to 18 months’ time. Resilience and long term thought will be paramount in running a strong future business.

There are very interesting times ahead, shall we make it to the end of this all, and if not, we will do it again with a bright smile.

Jonathan Zeman

CEO, Lan Kwai Fong Group

What are your priorities to ensure the safety of your staff and your guests during these tricky times?

We have instituted a range of strict hygiene and safety practices. Our policy relies on minimising contact between staff and customers, including reducing the number of touch points in restaurants as well as monitoring staff and customers for symptoms. Promoting the use of masks and hand sanitiser is very important to us. We have also arranged for a regular testing program by a registered doctor of our frontline F&B staff to ensure that there are no infections. Lastly, we request contact details for customers so that any contact tracing can be done, if necessary.

What proactive measures have you put in place in your restaurants to minimise the impact of Covid-19?

The main ways have been to increase delivery business with new high quality, well-priced delivery menus for all of our outlets. It’s a fine balance as we want to have customers, but at the same time, we don’t want to create a situation where there are too many people in close contact with each other. We have a 2-for-1 promotion on all kinds of items which has been popular as it really delivers great value.

As a landlord to many businesses in LKF, what has been the impact on your properties and tenants?

Over the past month, business at restaurants and bars in Lan Kwai Fong has been hit very hard. Yes, there were some cases reported of people who were infected overseas visiting F&B outlets in Lan Kwai Fong, however, these same people visited many places in Hong Kong and were not, in fact, infected in the Lan Kwai Fong area. There was a cluster of cases of infection within bars that covered three different districts in Hong Kong – one of which was in Lan Kwai Fong – but this was not necessarily a “Lan Kwai Fong” problem. Unfortunately, the misreporting has caused an overwhelming number of people to believe that Lan Kwai Fong itself is an “infected area”.

Are there any positives you would like to share with Hongkongers in a post Covid-19 world?

I think everyone in the world has learnt that we need to slow down a bit. We need to take care of and invest in our health. We need to spend more quality time with our loved ones. We need to treat the Earth with the respect and reverence that it deserves. We need to make sure that our businesses are sustainable. And we need to be ready to help others in need – and that can be with anything: kindness, face masks, understanding or just donating our time!