Rubin Verebes is the managing editor of Foodie and is very opinionated. Transforming his hobby of eating and drinking into a career, he shares his account of Hong Kong’s F&B scene and the worldwide state of dining in Rubin’s Take, a monthly opinion column.
The elephant in the room has produced browning banana peels, left branches and leaves to fester on the ground, and allowed footsteps to be brandished with anger. The F&B industry has not yet died – Hong Kongers will never let it – but it is suffering.
Recent media discourse and movement within the Hong Kong government have helped to raise awareness of the issue of an attitude problem plaguing restaurants city-wide and how we might be able to improve our global image to make the city more friendly.
Suggestions across the board have asked servers, owners, and chefs to smile more, serve with kindness, give ample time to those waiting and deciding on orders, and make sure tourists are left with a good impression of Hong Kong.
Tourists love Australia Dairy Company for the opposite of what many industry figures are pushing for. The clickbaity, viral “rude service” of this Jordan cha chaan teng, serving some of the city’s best fluffy scrambled eggs, has long been a go-to on tourists’ itineraries for a taste of the rough-around-the-edges service.
Our version of the world-famous Karen’s Diner in the UK, where “staff are rude and our manners are non-existent,” doesn’t quite parallel this Hong Kong restaurant. The fact that you can order a meal and, in seconds, it lands in your lap – completing the dining experience in under 10 minutes – is testament to a misunderstanding of Hong Kong’s hospitality workers.
The servers at Australia Dairy Company are not rude, so too with thousands of other workers at fast-casual restaurants in the city. You order, get your food quickly, and leave promptly. This is straightforward business.
Yes, if you are dedicating a bill of four figures to eat at a fine-dining restaurant, polished service is part of the experience, but cha chaan tengs are more transactional than fine-dining: you get what you want and the service does not need to be so polished.
For a quick meal, I do not care about answering how my day is going. I do not want to queue. I want to pay for a meal where I can clearly see the price, and I want to get out when I am done. There is great value to speedy and efficient dining.
Friends of mine, enthralled by the old-school Hong Kong image of Jackie Chan and Wong Kar-wai films, have always wanted to see the grungy, gritty, and no-nonsense side of Hong Kong when visiting me for the first time.
The common hustle at dim sum restaurants, food pit stops on the street, and some gentle shouting to scurry us away from our table once we have finished our meals excite me and my tourist companions.
People are not coming to Hong Kong for an immaculate 22nd-century experience – other worldly destinations offer that style of ritzy hospitality. Hong Kong serves us both the modern and traditional, fused together in one package.
The modern side is in line with Western ideals – posh, sleek, and in order. Hong Kong’s traditional side is gritty, honest, and straightforward. This should be celebrated, not hated.
The views expressed in this column are those of the author’s and do not represent or reflect the views of Foodie.