We ask — and answer — all the important questions you were wondering about the return of dinner service come 21 April (aka next Thursday!).
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, or have taken to strictly following Stay At Home orders — look at you! — you would’ve caught wind that dinner service is finally returning on the designed date of 21 April, with social distancing measures to slowly relax in staggering phrases. But, there are questions, as there always are. How long can we stay out? Is it still a two-per-table situation? Here are all your pressing queries answered.
Finally, dinner is back to normal hours. How long can we stay out until again?
Restaurants will extend dinner service until 10pm.
Great! I’ll invite all my WhatsApp contacts.
Hang on. Current seating restrictions of two per table has relaxed to four. Anything more will still have to be seated at a different table.
Oh… but is there anything we can do together after dinner?
Unless you finish before 10pm and head to another place for dinner — no. Bars, pubs, karaoke rooms and party rooms are part of the “phase two” re-opening. Currently, no official date has been announced, but it is said these venues will be able to run until midnight or 2am when they do open. You can always grab a happy hour drink over at these just-opened venues.
Is it safe to eat dinner out?
If you’ve been eating out for the past months, the resuming of dinner service will be just the same. Restaurant staff will be required to take a Rapid Antigen Test every three days and both the LeaveHomeSafe app and vaccine passports will still be in place.
If you’re not convinced, you can continue to sit at home to with these delivery meal kits or delivery services.
But please, go out. It’s time. Show some love to our friends in Hong Kong’s F&B industry.
Okay, any ideas of where to eat?
Stay tuned for a full list of returning restaurant and special dinner menus. In the meantime, book a table at April’s newest openings or have a browse at the latest seasonal menus.