A landmark floating restaurant that fed Cantonese cuisine and seafood to Queen Elizabeth II, Tom Cruise and millions of other diners have been towed from the Hong Kong harbor-front after being closed by the pandemic.
After months of COVID-19 restrictions, the parent company of Jumbo Floating Restaurant was unable to find a new owner due to a lack of funds to maintain it.
The company intended to relocate it to a lower-cost location where maintenance could still be performed.
The massive floating restaurant designed like a Chinese imperial palace on Aberdeen Harbour was known for its Cantonese cuisine and seafood dishes. It received over 30 million guests since its establishment in 1976.
Jumbo Floating Restaurant was forced to close in 2020 due to the pandemic, and all staff were laid off. Parent company Aberdeen Restaurant Enterprises said it had become a financial burden to shareholders, as millions of Hong Kong dollars were spent on inspection and maintenance of the floating restaurant every year even though the restaurant was not in operation.
Despite calls from lawmakers to save the restaurant, Lam said last month that the government had no plans to invest taxpayer money in it because the government was “not good” at running such establishments.
