Teahouse scores big as Hongkongers celebrate Father’s Day with yum cha, football
Hong Kong families cheered for Japan as it beat Tunisia 4-0 during a Sunday lunchtime broadcast of the Fifa World Cup, making for a memorable Father’s Day that combined the family tradition of yum cha with live football. The occasion highlighted the catering sector’s creative efforts to boost business, as a World Cup match coincided with a major family celebration, filling a local Cantonese teahouse to capacity. At Lin Heung Lau in Sheung Wan, thunderous applause and roars erupted when the...
By Theodora Yu
Hong Kong families cheered for Japan as it beat Tunisia 4-0 during a Sunday lunchtime broadcast of the Fifa World Cup, making for a memorable Father’s Day that combined the family tradition of yum cha with live football.
The occasion highlighted the catering sector’s creative efforts to boost business, as a World Cup match coincided with a major family celebration, filling a local Cantonese teahouse to capacity.
At Lin Heung Lau in Sheung Wan, thunderous applause and roars erupted when the Japanese team scored. Some patrons punched the air in celebration, while others crowded around dim sum carts, eyes fixed on a wall-sized television at the centre of the dining room.
Wearing a navy Japan football team jersey, Ricky Chan got a table shortly before kick-off with his wife Carman and their 15-year-old son, Carson. While the older Chan likes to watch football, the son plays the sport at school.
“We rarely watch football matches together as they were usually at night, but [this match] aligned perfectly with yum cha hours … there is also better atmosphere here,” Ricky Chan said.
“It was worth a try as [the World Cup] only comes around once every four years,” he added.
The family travelled from Fo Tan, arriving at 10.45am and securing a walk-in table after a 40-minute wait.
While dining, the Chans shared earphones and huddled over a mobile phone propped against a bamboo steamer on the table to follow the match, as their table was some distance from the main screen.
“I wish my dad Happy Father’s Day, and good health,” Carson Chan said.
The Chans planned to spend the afternoon shopping and cutting a cake.
A family of three generations also gathered at the teahouse for the occasion.
Longman Wong, 17, who sat next to his grandfather and uncle, said his father had arranged the celebration.
“It is a rather special and rare experience to have dim sum while watching the World Cup together as a family,” he said.
“Even if you missed seeing the goal, you would know they scored just by the cheering crowd,” Wong said. “[The vibe] feels just like being at the stadium.”
Wong’s grandfather, aged 87, said he enjoyed dining at the teahouse and had previously visited its Guangzhou branch.
His father, 50, arrived from the Eastern district as early as 10am to queue for a walk-in table. “For one, this restaurant is famous, second, there is a live match, and on top of that, it is Father’s Day,” the parent said.
The restaurant had been fully booked for its morning and evening sessions several days in advance, said shop manager Mars Tsui, who expected profits to rise by 20 to 30 per cent compared with a typical Sunday.
Tsui added he was not concerned that the long weekend, which coincided with the Tuen Ng Festival, would draw residents out of town, noting that the eatery had drawn both tourists and locals during the holiday period.
By 11.30am, a queue of around 50 people extended from the second floor of the restaurant all the way to the street.
The World Cup kicked off on Thursday, with the final scheduled for July 20, Hong Kong time.