Hong Kong’s iconic Jumbo Floating Restaurant has officially bid farewell to the city after plans to revitalise it fell through. Residents gathered to watch the 46-year-old landmark being towed out of the Aberdeen Typhoon Shelter on a cloudy Tuesday morning.

Jumbo Floating Restaurant
Jumbo Floating Restaurant on June 14, 2022. Photo: Lea Mok/HKFP.

The Southern District tourist attraction was surrounded by Marine Department vessels and guard boats, while some workers waited on the deck for the floating former eatery to be dragged away. Jumbo Kingdom, the restaurant’s parent company, announced that it had failed to secure a new operator for Jumbo Floating Restaurant. The company had suffered accumulated deficits of more than HK$100 million since 2013.

YouTube video

At around noon, the almost 4,200-square-metre restaurant opened by late casino tycoon Stanley Ho in 1976 began to be slowly pulled away by towboats.

Jumbo Floating Restaurant
Jumbo Floating Restaurant on June 14, 2022. Photo: Lea Mok/HKFP.

According to local media, Jumbo Kingdom said that the fleet found a new parking spot and had plans to undergo maintenance in Southeast Asia. But the company did not disclose further details.

Jumbo Floating Restaurant
Workers on the Jumbo Floating Restaurant on June 14, 2022. Photo: Lea Mok/HKFP.

A number of residents stood at the pier to photograph the outgoing fleet, while some rode on sampans and small speedboats to catch a final glimpse of the departing Aberdeen Harbour icon.

Jumbo Floating Restaurant
Jumbo Floating Restaurant on June 14, 2022. Photo: Lea Mok/HKFP.

A sampan operator told HKFP on Tuesday that around 20 vessels had been rented a day before by people who wanted to see the restaurant for the last time. The sampan operator recalled dining at Jumbo a few times, saying he thought their dim sum was “quite delicious.” But after the restaurant stopped serving dumplings and other bite-sized snacks, few patrons would visit the floating eatery, he said.

Jumbo floating restaurant
Jumbo Floating Restaurant on June 14, 2022. Photo: Tom Grundy/HKFP.

Asked if he was worried that Jumbo’s departure would affect his business, he said that business had been been poor regardless: “We haven’t had business for a long time, no [business] for the whole year.”

Jumbo Floating Restaurant
Workers on the Jumbo Floating Restaurant on June 14, 2022. Photo: Lea Mok/HKFP.

The restaurant ceased operations in March 2020 when Hong Kong was grappling with its first wave of Covid-19 infections. In the 2020 policy address, Chief Executive Carrie Lam pledged to revitalise the Jumbo Floating Restaurant after its owner agreed to donate it to Ocean Park. It was part of her plan to “invigorate” the Island South district, which she said had “great potential.”

Jumbo floating restaurant
The tipped over kitchen part of the Jumbo Floating Restaurant on June 14, 2022. Photo: Tom Grundy/HKFP.

But the theme park told Jumbo Kingdom in late 2021 that it could not find a suitable third party to take over operations. The restaurant’s parent company announced that the fleet would be moved out of Hong Kong after its operating license expired this month.

YouTube video

Two days following the announcement, the kitchen barge of the floating restaurant sunk.

Jumbo Floating Restaurant
The tipped over kitchen part of the Jumbo Floating Restaurant on June 14, 2022. Photo: Lea Mok/HKFP.

Jumbo Kingdom told HKFP on Tuesday that the company had communicated with the Marine Department and marine police about the flotilla’s exit route. The company said they would not disclose where Jumbo was headed, in order to avoid disturbance at the new parking site.

Jumbo floating restaurant
Jumbo Floating Restaurant on June 14, 2022. Photo: Tom Grundy/HKFP.

When asked if the restaurant would return to Hong Kong, the firm said they had to check the condition of the fleet before deciding on the next steps: “A unique icon for local residents and tourists alike, Jumbo Floating Restaurant has stood proud in [the] Southern District of Hong Kong Island for the past 46 years,” they said in a statement on Tuesday.

“Throughout this journey, it has been a great honour for us to share beautiful collective memories with local and foreign visitors,” the company added.

Jumbo Floating Restaurant
Jumbo Floating Restaurant on June 14, 2022. Photo: Lea Mok/HKFP.

Some lawmakers called on the government to come up with a revitalisation plan to preserve the landmark, saying it represented “a collective memory for Hongkongers.”

But Lam said last month that the government did not intend to inject public funds into the reinvigoration project, adding the government could not “force it” if Ocean Park and the restaurant owner could not come up with a suitable conservation measure.

Additional reporting: Lea Mok

Support HKFP  |  Policies & Ethics  |  Error/typo?  |  Contact Us  |  Newsletter  | Transparency & Annual Report | Apps

Help safeguard press freedom & keep HKFP free for all readers by supporting our team

contribute to hkfp methods
YouTube video

Support press freedom & help us surpass 1,000 monthly Patrons: 100% independent, governed by an ethics code & not-for-profit.

Processing…
Success! You're on the list.

Kelly Ho has an interest in local politics, education and sports. She formerly worked at South China Morning Post Young Post, where she specialised in reporting on issues related to Hong Kong youth. She has a bachelor's degree in Journalism from the University of Hong Kong, with a second major in Politics and Public Administration.