A landmark floating restaurant that fed Cantonese delicacies and seafood to the Queen, Tom Cruise and hundreds of thousands of different diners has been towed from Hong Kong’s harbour.
The father or mother firm of Jumbo Floating Restaurant couldn’t discover a new proprietor and lacked funds to keep up it after months of Covid-19 restrictions.
The huge floating restaurant, designed like a Chinese language imperial palace within the Aberdeen Harbour, was recognized for its Cantonese delicacies and seafood dishes.
It acquired greater than 30 million visitors since its institution in 1976.
However Jumbo Floating Restaurant was pressured to shut in 2020 because of the pandemic, and all workers had been laid off.
Father or mother firm Aberdeen Restaurant Enterprises mentioned it had turn into a monetary burden to shareholders, as hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong {dollars} had been spent on inspection and upkeep of the floating restaurant yearly though the restaurant was not in operation.
“We don’t foresee that (Jumbo Floating Restaurant) can resume enterprise within the quick future,” the corporate mentioned.
It mentioned potential offers to maintain the restaurant open had been thwarted by the excessive working prices.
Tugboats towed the restaurant away on Tuesday however it was not clear the place it can berth subsequent.
The corporate deliberate to maneuver it to a lower-cost web site the place upkeep may nonetheless be performed.
Hong Kong chief Carrie Lam had beforehand rejected strategies to bail out the restaurant, regardless of calls from politicians to protect the long-lasting landmark.
Ms Lam mentioned final month that the federal government had no plans to speculate taxpayers’ cash into the restaurant as the federal government was “not good” at working such premises.
Some Hong Kong residents recalled the heyday of Jumbo Kingdom, and expressed disappointment in seeing the restaurant go.
It was famed for its lavish banquet meals, with dishes reminiscent of roasted suckling pig, lobster and double-boiled chook’s nest, a Chinese language delicacy.
Wong Chi-wah, a ship operator within the harbour, mentioned that within the glory days of the Jumbo Floating Restaurant within the Nineties, flocks of Japanese vacationers would go to the eating places.
“The streets had been filled with parked automobiles as guests arrived in huge teams,” he mentioned.
Encore Sin, 71, mentioned Hong Kong was shedding one thing distinctive: “If the restaurant leaves immediately, there may be undoubtedly a way of loss, not only for individuals who stay round this space however for the entire of Hong Kong.
“Over the previous few many years, I’ve been to many locations all over the world to take images, however the place else on this planet are there such floating eating places? I don’t suppose there are any left.”
