InvestHK supports growth of Dignity Kitchen’s Hong Kong social enterprise business
- Singapore-based food court chain, which employs differently abled and disadvantaged people, opened Mong Kok outlet in 2019
- Company’s founder Koh Seng Choon praises help and advice of government body responsible for attracting foreign direct investment in the city
The Hong Kong government has been supportive of social enterprises that aim to run profitable businesses which provide gainful employment and make a meaningful contribution to society.
In line with that objective and the spirit it inspires, InvestHK, the government agency responsible for attracting foreign direct investment to the city, has been glad to help Singapore-based Dignity Kitchen establish a presence in the city.
This venture specialises in a particular – and very popular – style of dining. As anyone who spends time in Singapore soon discovers, visiting a local “hawker centre” or food court in the city state to enjoy a well-cooked, reasonably priced meal is a recommended dining experience.
Everything is informal and easy to navigate. You can simply grab a chair or claim a table before checking out the choice of perennial favourites and daily specials on offer at the various stalls serving cooked food. Then it is simply a question of tucking in surrounded by the buzz of friendly chatter in any number of languages and dialects.
It is all a vivid demonstration of the maxim that food brings people together, something well understood by Hongkongers who have grown up with their own love of “street food” and the typical banter found among the patrons of any local dai pai dong, or street cafe.
Yet, in this case, the concept is the brainchild of a multi-award-winning social enterprise, Project Dignity, with its mission of restoring dignity to people with disabilities and disadvantages by providing skills training, gainful employment and greater social inclusion.
Koh Seng Choon, founder of Project Dignity, opened the first Dignity Kitchen in Singapore in 2010. At the time of its launch, the food court, which employs disadvantaged people and trains them for roles suited to their individual abilities and limitations, was believed to be the first of its kind in the world.
