Valentine's Day: Mixed fortune for business of love
Valentine's Day might be one opportunity for lovebirds to show how much they care about their significant others, but it is not the case for 27-year-old Bryan and his fiancée this year.  “This year’s Valentine’s Day is not that meaningful compared to previous years,” he said. That's because they went all out last year -- when Covid restrictions were just lifted. This year, they are still going to celebrate at a Japanese restaurant, but their budget is down by 30 percent. Typically cashing in on the season of love and romance, restaurants are facing more than just people spending less. James Robertson, owner of the Italian restaurant chain Grappas, said bookings have dropped by three-quarters compared to the previous year.  He said customers are simply not here.  “There's a lot of people going to Shenzhen ... you get a lot more bang for the buck,” he said. “Secondly, this year, Valentine's Day falls on the fifth day of Chinese New Year, a lot of companies don't just turn around and come back on the fifth day, they stay back and take off the whole week. So I think there'll be a lot of people that will not be coming out just because it's kind of still the holiday time.” Even high-end Omakase like Sushi Zo feels the pinch. The typically fully booked reservation-only Japanese restaurant has found only a third of its seats filled.  General Manager Dante Fung pointed out that customers have become more cautious with their spending, opting for house specials instead of indulging in pricey drinks. But it's not all doom and gloom... Some restaurants remain optimistic. Executive Chef Ken Lau of the catering group Lubuds said his three restaurants located near Victoria Harbour were fully booked a week prior to Valentine's Day.   To make the atmosphere more romantic, they are also offering flowers to all female customers. “They are very suitable for couples to date or celebrate anniversaries. We won't dare to compare our business to pre-pandemic level, but we are cautiously optimistic this year,” he said.  Florists are also hoping their business will blossom but they face challenges as well.  One florist at the Mong Kok Flower Market, Ms Ma, said many people are now buying flowers directly from mainland online platforms, which offer lower prices and direct deliveries. She expected sales to drop by 40 percent this year.  A florist in Central, Cathy Tsang, said pre-orders were down by 50 percent as most of her Ecuadorian red and pink roses remained unsold. She said some customers may be out of town and unable to place orders, due to the proximity of Valentine's Day to Lunar New Year. Still, she was hopeful last-minute walk-ins could save the day. “Over the last ten years, most men have been running out to buy flowers on Valentine’s day. Around 100 people will be here,” she said.  Sales were also down for an online florist run by Mr Wu, but he did see growth from abroad.  “For the overseas market that’s about ten percent more than usual… I presume many have immigrated especially to the UK these past two to three years and they’re sending flowers to their loved ones in Hong Kong, perhaps that’s the reason,’ he said.  And if a recent survey conducted by a dating service is anything to go by, businesses may be facing an uphill battle trying to cash in on Valentine's Day fever, as 35 percent of almost 600 people who are in a relationship said they had no plans to celebrate February 14 at all.