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Cheap mealboxes a taste of Hong Kong's economic woes
Hong Konger Kitty Chan pivoted to takeout to help her restaurant survive the pandemic, but she has since opened a second shop as demand for cheap mealboxes surges in the city.
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This photo taken on September 18, 2022 shows customers being served low-priced two-dish mealboxes at Kitty Chan's restaurant in Hong Kong. (AFP/Peter Parks)
H
ong Konger Kitty Chan pivoted to takeout to help her restaurant survive the pandemic, but she has since opened a second shop as demand for cheap mealboxes surges in a city enduring economic woes.
Small shops selling inexpensive two-dish mealboxes have mushroomed across one of the world's least affordable cities, cropping up in working-class and white-collar areas alike as people tighten their belts.
"The Covid restrictions were a catalyst," she told AFP at her restaurant in Kowloon, one of the world's most densely populated city districts, as a queue of hungry patrons snaked down the street.
"There are multiple factors in this city that make us many people's kitchen."
Hong Kong took an economic hit in 2019 when months of democracy protests kept visitors away and helped tip the city into a prolonged recession.
More than 2.5 years of strict Covid controls have again pushed the Asian finance hub into negative growth.
Hong Kong finance chief Paul Chan warned Thursday there is a "very high chance" the city will end the year in a full-blown recession while the fiscal deficit is expected to balloon to HK$100 billion ($12.7 billion), twice initial estimates.
