[Celebrity Entrepreneurs] Rosina Lam, Bosco Wong, and Shaun Tam Weather Through Restaurant Challenges

With many Hong Kongers opting to travel to China during holidays, the Hong Kong economy has taken a serious hit. In particular, many food and beverage businesses are no longer able to stay afloat. An industry insider estimates more than 300 restaurants closed down in the last month and many older establishments were unable to escape this fate either.

Many Hong Kong celebrities invested money into the restaurant industry and are facing difficult challenges. A notable entrepreneur, Rosina Lam (林夏薇), owns ten dim sum shops. She feels helpless with the current situation, “The economy isn’t doing well, so we’re definitely feeling the effects. We’ll keep holding on but in times of risk, there is always opportunity. I’ve always made adjustments based on the market. When the pandemic hit, we emphasized the takeout model more. My ten shops are still operating as usual and I’m really thankful for the local support. This year, we’ll focus on holding down the fort. I don’t have any creative ideas, but we’ll maintain the quality and continue working passionately.”

Always loving challenges, Rosina plans to open a new business and wants to enter the diamond industry. Not discouraged by the expensive rent prices, she plans to open a brick-and-mortar store in Hong Kong. “Before May, we’ll work on our online site. In June, we plan to open stores across Hong Kong, China, Singapore, and Indonesia.” Although balancing an acting career with her businesses is tiring, Rosina is learning a lot while pursuing her dreams.

Other than Rosina, Shaun Tam (譚俊彥), and Bosco Wong (黃宗澤) own restaurants which focus on western cuisine. In August of last year, Shaun invested a seven-digit sum in expanding his restaurant, moving from Kowloon to a 2,000-square-foot space in Hong Kong Island. The monthly rent is more than $200,000 Hong Kong dollars. While business this Easter has been quieter than the norm, Shaun is not defeated and will work hard at adjusting his mood. “We must change our old habits to do business in Hong Kong nowadays. In the past, everyone feels the holidays will be the busiest time but they are now the quietest. The advantage is my workers can rest. After moving to Wan Chai, a lot of people who work nearby are [customers] so it’s usually quite busy. We’ve always insisted on keeping a certain quality of service at my restaurants. I don’t want clients to eat in a rush, so we don’t set eating time limits. This way, clients are able to relax and talk with their family or friends. Also, the quality of food is very important. If we do a good job, then clients will introduce the restaurant to their friends and continue to support us. The fact that we’re still in business during a time like this is already a win.”

As for Bosco, he had renovated his restaurant during the pandemic and re-opened in April of last year. Always creatively promoting his business, he has two luxury sports cars parked in front of the restaurant to help with promotion. While the business is overall doing okay, there was a drop in revenue as many are travelling elsewhere during the holidays. On normal days, his business is still stable. Since this is his restaurant’s sixth anniversary, he especially prepared a 40 percent discount for clients. Other than the great deal, he is very focused on the quality of customer service and aims to give his clients a great experience.

Source: [1]

This article is written by Kiki for JayneStars.com.

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