By Fiona Sun Lorraine Chiang
A 36-year-old Hong Kong seafood restaurant chain has abruptly shut down its last remaining branch, leaving about 50 employees in limbo as they seek to recover their unpaid wages.
A notice announcing the closure of Super Star Seafood Restaurant was posted at its Moko shopping centre branch in Mong Kok on Wednesday.
鈥淚n recent years, the catering industry in Hong Kong has been facing structural challenges. The local consumer market has continued to be weak and there has been a fundamental change in tourists鈥 consumption patterns. The business of our company has inevitably been affected,鈥 it said.
According to the notice, the company tried to negotiate relief measures, such as rent adjustments or suspensions, with the landlords, but failed to reach an agreement.
鈥淒ue to the continued deterioration of the business environment and after careful evaluation, the company, with a heavy heart, announces that it will cease operations at the Moko branch from July 2,鈥 it added.
The restaurant chain, founded in 1989, used to have multiple branches across Hong Kong, including in Tsuen Wan, Wan Chai, Hung Hom and Tseung Kwan O. But all had been closed in the run-up to its final demise.
Chiu Kwun-chung, head of the Eating Establishment Employees General Union鈥檚 labour rights committee, said about 50 restaurant workers had sought help to recover their unpaid wages, severance payments, pay for untaken leave, as well as wages in lieu of notice, which amounted to an estimated total of more than HK$5 million (US$636,940).
He said that some employees worked there for a long time, with severance payments reaching HK$200,000 to HK$300,000.
He also said that the workers were only notified of the closure on Tuesday night, adding that the union had accompanied them to the Labour Department the following day.
鈥淚 hope the company will compensate the employees, explain whether it has money to pay for the workers, and if it has no money, what can it do for the employees?鈥 Chiu said.
Wong Leung-yuen, vice-manager of the dim sum department with 15 years of service at the restaurant, called the company a 鈥済ood employer鈥, but said he hoped it could give the staff instructions on what they should do after the closure.
鈥淚 learned of the closure at 10pm on Tuesday after seeing the notice online. Nobody has contacted us directly yet,鈥 the 58-year-old said.
鈥淭he dinner business has been getting much worse recently, and they have to use new income to cover old debts. This is not a long-term solution and I know it will end one day.鈥
He said he felt grateful that the restaurant did not reduce their wages during hardships, and wished the company could pay their wages for June and their holiday pay, of which he had more than 50 days.
A dim sum chef, surnamed Liu, teared up while talking about her 40 days of missing holiday pay.
鈥淸The restaurant] kept telling us to save our holidays so we did not get to go out. I worked 10 hours per day to save up for those holidays, how could they be gone like this?鈥 she said.
At 63 years old, Liu was also worried about finding a job, saying the market was bad and that she had not searched for a job for almost 10 years.
鈥淚f I stop working, I cannot feed myself,鈥 she said.
The closure of the restaurant came amid a string of closures in the city鈥檚 catering sector.
Bakery chain Taipan Bread & Cakes, which invented 鈥渟now skin鈥 mooncakes, closed all of its branches after 41 years in business last month, leaving more than 200 employees seeking help from labour authorities over HK$32 million in unpaid wages, dismissal compensation and other debts.
In May, 33-year-old congee restaurant chain Ocean Empire Food Shop also shut all its outlets.