Hong Kong’s protests have disrupted the entire nation, including the dining scene. In general, people have been discouraged from going out to eat, resulting in both a decline in instore dining and an increase in delivery. Although delivery has increased, in many cases, it is not enough to offset the drop in dining in.
The protests initially started in June, following a controversial extradition bill. Since June, they have grown to a wider variety of issues, as well.
Greg Hingston, head of retail banking and wealth management at HSBC in Hong Kong, said, “If you look at home delivery, that’s up very significantly. The usual utilitarian type categories all hold up. It’s the more discretionary categories you see the reduction in.”
Hong Kong’s Hotel, Food and Beverage Employees Association said that 77 percent of its members who responded to a survey said that they had been asked to take between one and three days of unpaid leave due to the drop in available work.
