Hong Kong’s catering industry has stabilised in recent months and recorded slight growth from a year earlier, but Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said service quality still had room for improvement. He made the comments during a radio programme on the morning of August 16, 2026, while discussing the sector and the wider economy.
Chan said diners were concerned not only with whether food tasted good, but also with the overall consumption experience and the quality of service. He said the industry could improve in its service standards.
The comments came as the catering sector faced considerable challenges, although it had steadied in recent months. No specific growth rate or period covered by the slight year-on-year increase was provided.
The wider economic backdrop has improved. The government last week published its 2026 Half-year Economic Report and revised second-quarter gross domestic product figures, raising its forecast for real GDP growth in 2026 to between 3.5 per cent and 4.5 per cent, from an earlier range of 2.5 per cent to 3.5 per cent.
Hong Kong’s economic performance in the first half of the year was described as quite good, with export performance and resilient domestic demand among the main factors supporting the improvement. Retail sales had also recorded growth for 14 consecutive months.
Chan said overall economic risks remained manageable despite external risks including geopolitics, and that he was cautiously optimistic about growth in the second half of the year. The source did not identify specific measures to improve catering service quality.