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Two giant seafood houses are docked at Deep Bay Wharf Trail, Wong Chuk Hang, South District, Hong Kong Island. One is 舫 舫 宝宝 舫 (Jumbo Floating Restaurant) , the other is Taibai Seafood 舫 (Tai Pak Floating Restaurant) .

Standing on this sea for 40 years, they have formed a floating restaurant—Jumbo Kingdom (Jumbo Kingdom) , and Become a Hong Kong influencer punch card place.

Unexpectedly, under the impact of the epidemic, the “kingdom” went from layoffs to suspension of business.

Jumbo Kingdom, the parent company of Jumbo Seafood, recently announced on the official website: “Affected by the current situation, Jumbo Kingdom will be closed from March 3 until further notice.

In response, Xinbao International, the largest shareholder of Jumbo Seafood, said (HK.0200) , “In view of the fact that the new coronavirus constitutes a significant business for Jumbo Kingdom Influence, so the decision to suspend business, the Group will continue to pay close attention to the operating environment of Jumbo Kingdom, and update the situation in due time.

As soon as the news came out, there was a sigh of sigh. It is reported that March 1st is the last business day of the Treasure Kingdom. Now open the public comment, you will find that Jumbo Seafood 舫 has been in the “closed business” state.

This means that this once the world’s largest “Sea Food Restaurant” came to an end.

The crisis, from layoffs to closures

Since last July, the overall number of visitors to Hong Kong has begun to decline. In the second half of the year, the total number of visitors to Hong Kong totaled 21.04 million, down 39.1% year-on-year.

This year, under the impact of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, the number of visitors to Hong Kong has further decreased. According to data from the Hong Kong Tourism Board on March 16, preliminary statistics on the number of tourists visiting Hong Kong in February this year fell by 96% to 199,000.

Since the implementation of the customs clearance policy on February 8, Hong Kong ’s average daily visitors have reached 3,300, of which 20% are mainland visitors. It is expected that the number of visitors to Hong Kong in March may decrease further.

The tourist traffic has plummeted, and the epidemic has been overwhelmed. Nowadays, Hong Kong’s retail and catering industries have suffered double blows and are experiencing unprecedented pressure.

According to the Hong Kong Ta Kung Pao report, there are currently about 28,000 restaurants in Hong Kong, and more than 1,000 have been closed. As “the world’s largest maritime restaurant”, the 40-year-old treasure seafood wonton has not been spared.

In early January of this year, in response to the downturn in performance, Jumbo Kingdom, Jumbo Seafood ’s parent company, has laid off more than 60 employees. (nearly half of employees) , And open new business models, including a new set of seasonal menus to shorten business hours.

A spokesperson for Melco International said, “In the severely catering industry, the new operating model helps Jumbo Kingdom continue to provide quality services to guests, while retaining the unique experience of traditional maritime restaurants in this Hong Kong landmark. “

However, the new business model can’t withstand the great environmental pressures. Jumbo Kingdom announced on March 3 that it will suspend business and at the same time dismiss all its employees.

It is reported that Melco International has decided to terminate the lease and return the government land to the government. The lease term will expire in June this year. The lessee will clear the building and restore the pavement appearance before the land is returned in accordance with the requirements of the license.

In this regard, the pneumonia epidemic’s slump to the Treasure Kingdom far exceeded the SARS period in 2003.

As early as 2003, the turnover of the Treasure Kingdom once fell by 75% due to the epidemic situation. After a bleak period of operation, it became an unattended mess.

But in the same year, the story turned around. In 2003, Hong Kong was officially opened for free travel. The arrival of a large number of mainland tourists drove the development of Hong Kong’s tourism industry into a small peak. With the classic Hong Kong film “Infernal Affairs 2” being filmed here and showing great popularity, the Treasure Kingdom has become a Mainland tourist visiting Hong Kong to check inGround.

Unfortunately, the TA who had survived SARS this time couldn’t survive the pneumonia epidemic. The 44-year-old “Jumbo Seafood Ravioli” is also hopelessly reopened.

44 years of entrepreneurial history, TA is not an ordinary restaurant

As we all know, the 44-year-old Treasure Seafood Ravioli has become not only a pearl on the sea representing Hong Kong’s tourism industry, but also an internationally renowned tourist attraction.

The total area of ​​this Treasure Seafood Ravioli is 45,000 square feet. (approximately 16111 square meters) , which can accommodate 2300 people to dine at the same time. In the design, the imitation lighting replaced the palace’s architectural decoration, and the interior was covered with traditional Chinese handicrafts and murals. The famous dragon chair alone took 2 years to complete.

Stills from “The God of Food” movie from Douban Movies

Since its opening, many classic films such as “God Eater”, “Dragon Fighting”, “Infernal Affairs 2”, “Indiana Jones”, and “Special Police New Human” have been filmed here, and have received many political figures and business circles from many countries. Leading stars and big coffee stars, including Queen Elizabeth II,Zhou Runfa, Gong Li, etc. had more than 30 million guests.

“Infernal Affairs 2” movie stills, from Douban movies

But the success story of TA starts from the 1920s. At that time, there was a boom in floating restaurants in Hong Kong, and the seafood ravioli business was popular. By the heyday of the 1950s, there were more than a dozen seafood stalls moored at the Aberdeen Typhoon Shelter.

The merchant Wang Laoji, a potential business opportunity, raised funds in the 1990s to build a treasure seafood maggot. Unexpectedly, he encountered a Class 4 fire and was severely damaged. In 1971, Macau’s gambler He Hongzhang took over the treasure seafood dumpling from businessman Wang Laoji.

With a cost of HK $ 30 million, it took 4 years to rebuild. Treasure Seafood Restaurant officially opened in 1976. After opening until 2013, the gambler himself will host a banquet here to celebrate his birthday.

By 1980, Jumbo Seafood 竞争 (Jumbo Floating Restaurant) , Taibai Seafood 舫 (Tai Pak Floating Restaurant) and Cape Palace (later renamed” Jumbo Palace “) reached a merger and acquisition, both of the paintings were operated by Aberdeen Catering Enterprises Co., Ltd., which is managed by Shun Tak Group, a subsidiary of Ho Hung Wah.

However, Jumbo Seafood Co., Ltd. became the property of Xinhua International in 1993, and was controlled by He Yilong, the son of King Gong’s Erfang. This is the company’s only catering project.

After the most brilliant 20 years from 1976 to 1996, under the Asian financial turmoil in 1997, the operation of Jumbo Seafood has deteriorated. He Yonglong spent tens of millions of Hong Kong dollars to implement reforms and refurbishments, and officially renamed Hong Kong Jumbo Seafood Ravioli as “Jumbo Kingdom”, while improving the quality of meals to increase competitiveness and attract more tourists.

Although Jumbo Kingdom’s catering business recorded a loss of HK $ 9.8 million in 2003, after the reform, the company’s sales in 2004 increased by 37% year-on-year. He Yonglong rescued the maritime catering kingdom and entered the 31st place in the Hong Kong rich list with a value of $ 3.4 billion.

After Melco International set up its Macau China headquarters, it began to enter the entertainment and leisure business. The Treasure Kingdom has gradually extended from a single restaurant to a marine theme park that integrates leisure, sightseeing and food, and has become a “six-star distinguished restaurant”.