A Hong Kong recipe to beat restaurant crisis – clever concepts, cheaper meals?

Hong Kong’s restaurant sector is in crisis, with a wave of closures, shrinking margins and residents lured by cheaper options locally and across the border. In the second of a two-part series, the Post looks at how operators are bucking the trend to thrive and survive. Read part one here.

Shortly after Italian chef Stefano Rossi opened his restaurant in one of Hong Kong’s poorest neighbourhoods, he began to worry he had bitten off more than he could chew.

The restaurant, tucked away in a corner of the food court at Dragon Centre shopping centre in Sham Shui Po, was racking up daily losses. But its fortunes began to change after a few weeks, following positive reviews on social media.

“We got kind of lucky at the beginning, because some video went viral,” said Rossi, who helped design the first menu of the popular Italian restaurant chain Pici.

The unusual choice of location was all part of the package, as Rossi set his sights on luring curious diners who had few options for quality Western cuisine in the neighbourhood.

“I knew from day one that this place had very good potential. The area is very busy and we also want to give a chance to the nearby residents to taste real Italian flavour,” he said.

Rossi added that he was keen to offer lower prices than other sit-down restaurants while keeping quality high by making all the pasta and sauces by hand.