China News Service, February 6 (Xinhua) According to reports from Hong Kong media such as Dagong Wenhui All Media and Hong Kong Sing Tao Network, having a reunion dinner together is a traditional Chinese New Year custom. Affected by favorable factors such as extended customs clearance time, high quality, low price, and The Shenzhen New Year's Eve dinner market with considerate service attracts many Hong Kong people to come and taste it.
Image source: Hong Kong Sing Tao Network.
According to reports, a seafood-themed restaurant in Futian Gangsha, Shenzhen, with 112 tables and 30 independent private rooms, has been fully booked for the New Year’s Eve night. In addition to local Shenzhen guests, there are also many tourists from Hong Kong and other provinces who booked this year. The passenger flow is almost double that of last year.
A reporter from Hong Kong media visited and found that major shopping malls and catering businesses in Shenzhen had put up New Year-themed decorations in advance. It is understood that most of the Dragon Year's Eve dinners in Shenzhen restaurants this year range from 1,000 yuan to 5,000 yuan. The set menus have multiple themes for customers to choose. It is hard to find a private room for New Year's Eve dinner in some hotels. In addition to renovation, they also focus on "dragon elements" to break out of the "New Year's dish war".
According to reports, during the Spring Festival this year, Luohu Port and Shenzhen Bay Port implemented delayed customs clearance for the first time, which brought benefits to Shenzhen’s catering industry. Merchants in business districts near the ports have plans to deal with it. A milk tea shop near Luohu Port said that Hong Kong people are welcome to come and consume, and the hours will be extended every day according to the passenger flow; a clerk at a Chaoshan seafood shop said that nearly 60% of Hong Kong people made reservations in advance for the New Year's Eve night. Since last year, more Hong Kong customers have been served. , the store clerk has also gone from not being able to understand Cantonese to being able to understand basic Cantonese, and can better serve Hong Kong people.
Compared with Shenzhen, Hong Kong’s New Year’s Eve dinner market this year is slightly bleak. Xu Wenwei, president of the Daomiao Catering Professional Association, pointed out that Shenzhen’s low prices have attracted many Hong Kong people to travel north during the Lunar New Year and eat New Year’s Eve dinner along the way.
Wong Ka-woo, president of the Hong Kong Catering Industry Association, said that the amount of New Year’s Eve dinner orders in Hong Kong this year has been reduced by 10% to 15% compared with last year, and customers are more inclined to choose ordinary set meals. Regarding the phenomenon of Hong Kong people going north to have New Year’s Eve dinner, he believes that it is related to the convenient transportation and the fact that many Hong Kong people have relatives in the mainland. “It is not surprising that they choose to go to Shenzhen for a more cost-effective New Year’s Eve dinner.”
Wong Ka-woo also said that Hong Kong still has certain advantages. For example, high-end hotels can win with "service". However, the industry has been plagued by manpower shortages in recent years. It has also been unable to rely on the import of a large number of foreign workers to supplement it. It is also difficult to train high-quality workers in the short term. Excellent service staff. He pointed out that Hong Kong's catering industry needs to start over and have "novel ideas" in terms of service and quality in order to attract customers to stay and spend in Hong Kong.