The World Cup brought an additional HK$500 million in revenue to Hong Kong’s bars and restaurants, an industry rep has said, despite games being held in the middle of the night due to the time difference.
Simon Wong, president of the Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants & Related Trades, said on an RTHK radio show on Monday morning that live screenings of the World Cup brought a higher-than-expected boost to eateries.
Revenue increased by around 6 per cent month-on-month, Wong said, much more than the 2 or 3 per cent initial forecast.
“This is quite encouraging for the restaurant industry,” he said in Cantonese, adding that the atmosphere “heated up” as the World Cup reached the round of 16 and quarter-finals stages.
Wong’s comments were made just hours after Spain beat Argentina in the World Cup final, marking an end to the season’s 104-match run.
This year’s World Cup was co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the US, meaning matches were played in the middle of the night Hong Kong time due to the 12-hour time difference.
Many bars and eateries – including famed yum cha restaurant Lin Heung Tea House in Central – set up large screens and extended their opening hours to cater to football fans.
Wong said that, with restaurants having invested in screens and other livestreaming hardware, he expected that eateries would capitalise on major sporting events to attract customers in the future.
Beyond restaurants and bars, Hongkongers also packed shopping malls that were broadcasting the World Cup final in the early hours of Monday.
Some malls introduced offers to attract fans. Olympian City in Tai Kok Tsui partnered with restaurants in the mall, including McDonald’s and Dough Bros, to offer food delivery services directly to the atrium where the match was screened.
In Tseung Kwan O, Metro City Plaza arranged buses to take fans to Central and Mong Kok after the final ended so they could start their work day, HK01 reported.
