Gold Garden Cafe, a cha chaan teng known for its egg tarts, will close one of its two branches and lay off some staff as Hong Kong’s food and beverage sector continues to face difficult market conditions.
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Davis Ng Kwai-ting, the owner of the Hong Kong-style cafe, said that while the decision was mainly spurred by the departure of some kitchen staff, the poor economy and the desire to focus his efforts on the main branch were also reasons behind the closure.
Tucked in a residential district, Cheung Sha Wan, the cha chaan teng is known for signature Hong Kong food offerings such as egg tarts, silky milk tea and macaroni in soup.
Many locals were seen queuing outside the restaurants for egg tarts, which were rolled out in a trolley fresh from a kitchen at the back of the store to the front.
“Firstly, a few of the kitchen staff said they wanted to start their own restaurant and they found someone who wanted to co-invest with them, so they told me a month ago that they didn’t want to work here any more,” Ng said.
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“After thinking about it seriously for a month, with the economy being poor right now and that I would have to learn how to work with the new team, in this situation, I decided that I don’t want to continue operating the second branch for the time being.”