Restaurant once known as rudest in London provides hope for Hong Kong
- City can go the way of Wardour Street eatery and change its image for visitors, but it needs greater understanding, not more cheesy adverts
There is a Chinese restaurant in London which has achieved legendary status, famous for its service rather than the food. And not in a good way.
Wong Kei, in Wardour Street, in Chinatown, forged a reputation for brusque service in the 1980s and 90s and has, in the past, been described as the rudest restaurant in the capital.
Such was its notoriety, the treatment meted out to customers became part of the restaurant’s appeal. People would go there to experience it – all part of the entertainment.
Wong Kei, after changes of management, appears to have cleaned up its act. There are even some five star reviews on Tripadvisor, among less flattering critiques.
Hong Kong has long faced a similar reputation for its service. This month, the Tourism Board launched yet another campaign intended to improve the experience of visitors and to get everyone smiling.
The “Let’s Go the Extra Mile” campaign encourages frontline workers, from civil servants to waiters, taxi drivers and sales assistants, to be warm and welcoming, polite and friendly. It comes as the city is striving to bring inbound tourism back to pre-pandemic levels.
Complaints about rude treatment have gone viral on mainland social media. Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Kevin Yeung Yun-hung says a few isolated cases have caused misunderstanding. But the concerns are strong enough to prompt the campaign.
A bunch of celebrities have, predictably, been wheeled out to star in official videos encouraging service sector staff to be thoughtful, polite and helpful.
These cheesy advertisements have good intentions, but I doubt they will have much impact on the city’s overworked and underpaid frontline staff.
A hard-pressed waiter on the minimum wage would, I suspect, feel even more grumpy after watching them. The campaign mirrors similar efforts, notably in 1997 and 2002.
Hong Kong’s service sector endured a terrible time during the pandemic, when Covid-19 restrictions brought tourism to a halt and led to frequent venue closures. It is struggling to adapt to new trends and a tendency for residents to take breaks across the border instead of spending at home.
There is no justification for treating customers badly or discriminating against them. But an uplift in business, leading to better pay and sufficient manpower, would do more than any promotional campaign to lift spirits.
Hong Kong’s appeal as a tourist destination depends on much more than good service. And the campaign, as lawmaker Doreen Kong Yuk-foon has pointed out, might prove to be self-defeating as it declares to the world Hong Kong has a problem. This jars with other promotions such as “Hello Hong Kong” and “Happy Hong Kong”.
It should not be thought that the city’s people are generally unfriendly or impolite. That was not my experience when I lived in Hong Kong. They were direct, at times, and didn’t always observe cultural niceties expected in the West. That is part of the culture and you quickly get used to it.
Once, when I tried to speak Cantonese to a taxi driver, I was abruptly told: “Better you speak English.”
I didn’t take offence. He needed to know where to go and was, no doubt, right about my lack of linguistic ability.
Sometimes there is also a trade-off between efficiency and what is viewed as poor service. Tables at restaurants are turned quickly. Frontline staff often don’t have time to chat, as they do elsewhere in the world. There were good experiences as well as bad, as you would get in any bustling city.
The key to changing Hong Kong’s service culture is not patronising videos. Being polite, it is said, costs nothing. But perhaps, in this case, it does. A sharp rise in the minimum wage and a few extra holidays are more likely to bring a smile to people’s faces.
If Wong Kei can improve its image, so can Hong Kong. But, as with the restaurant, the abrupt, no-nonsense approach is part of the city’s culture and, at least for some, its appeal.
