[Big read] ‘Two-dish-rice’ shakes up Hong Kong dining

Two years ago, 24-year-old Feng Huaying from Guangxi came to Hong Kong to further her studies. She stayed on after graduating and now works in the media industry.

Feng has grown fond of “two-dish-rice” meals during her time in Hong Kong. She told Lianhe Zaobao, “When I first came to Hong Kong, I rented a tiny place that was very inconvenient to cook, so I often ate out. After trying two-dish-rice meals, I fell in love with it, so much so that I can eat it three to four times a week!”

Feng explained that dining in Hong Kong eateries costs an average of HK$60 (US$7.70) to HK$70 per person, while two-dish-rice meals are more affordable at HK$30 to HK$40. With a large variety of dishes to choose from and a speedy buying process, these meals are very attractive to the average person.  

She added, “I only have an hour for lunch on weekdays, and eateries have long waiting times. Two-dish-rice meals are an efficient option because I can very quickly get my lunch to-go.”

Two-dish-rice meals are similar to the pick-and-mix fast meals in mainland China, and customers can order two to three dishes. While its origins in Hong Kong are unclear, two-dish-rice shops purportedly first appeared in the early 2000s. At the time, such meals were known as “ten-dollar-rice” meals as they were usually priced at HK$10.

The first craze over two-dish-rice meals was in 2003 when the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) ravaged Hong Kong. Dining-in restrictions meant that many diners had to take their meals to-go, and this gave rise to two-dish-rice eateries. After the SARS pandemic, their popularity receded, but the affordability of such meals cultivated a following among the less well-off. In fact, they have even been dubbed a “godsend for the poor”. 

After Covid-19 restrictions were lifted in the first half of 2023, Hong Kong’s economic recovery has struggled to meet expectations. Taking the retail industry as an example, the latest data released by the Hong Kong government’s Census and Statistics Department show that the provisional estimate of the total retail sales value this May reached only HK$30.5 billion, a drop of 11.5% year-on-year. The provisional estimate of the total retail sales value in the first five months of this year also fell by 6.1% year-on-year.

Annie Yau Tse, chair of the Hong Kong Retail Management Association, described the continued worsening of the local retail market as “in dire straits”. She pointed out that an upsurge in the number of Hong Kongers heading north to spend in the mainland since 2023 and changes to the spending habits and travel patterns of incoming tourists has led to Hong Kong’s retail sector to continue to decline by as much as double digits.  

Tse said, “Since 2023, we noticed that many tourists from the mainland are now travelling to Hong Kong on tight budgets. Instead of coming here to shop, they are now more concerned about food and entertainment. They are also more particular about the overall consumer experience.”

The reality is that fewer visitors are coming to Hong Kong after the pandemic and the spending habits of those that do have changed. At the same time, large numbers of locals are heading up north to spend their money, causing a drastic reduction in consumption levels within Hong Kong and exacerbating the operating pressures in its F&B industry. 

Some local eateries managed to scrape through the three pandemic years only to shutter after. Over the last half a year or so, there has been a spate of business closures in Hong Kong, leading to a palpable increase in the number of empty shop fronts. 

A few months ago, the “Hong Kong Shop Closures Group” was set up on Facebook and shot to fame immediately. Touching on an area of societal concern, the group gained 100,000 members within three days and now has nearly 360,000 members. Members share photos of closed shops and deserted streets in various parts of Hong Kong, and lament at the sad state of the local retail and F&B sectors. 

Amid the slump in Hong Kong’s retail market, two-dish-rice eateries have suddenly emerged once more. Many locals patronise these outlets both during and after the pandemic. Not limited to ordinary working people, their customers include several celebrities. 

At the end of 2023, a netizen posted about a chance encounter with movie star Chow Yun-fat at a two-dish-rice shop in Sheung Wan and learning that he is a fan too.  

The post showed a photo of Chow characteristically dressed in black and graciously posing for the camera with the shop staff. In another, he was shown pointing to the dishes to order his food. The post attracted many curious netizens, some asked, “What did big brother Fat order?”

Gregory May, the US consulate-general in Hong Kong and Macau, occasionally posts about his activities on social media. In November 2022, during the two-dish-rice craze, he visited one such eatery in Wan Chai to sample the local specialty. He later described his meal on social media as “affordable and tasty”. This generated a lot of online interest and many netizens sent him their recommendations of two-dish-rice eateries to try.

The current rise of two-dish-rice meals is closely tied to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, which impacted Hong Kong’s F&B industry. In March that year, the Hong Kong government banned dining-in services after 6 pm, allowing only take-aways. The restriction lasted until mid-2022. Two-dish-rice businesses took advantage of the window of opportunity to sprout like mushrooms after rain and have since continued to go from strength to strength.

Social worker Wong Yuk-hay founded the “Hong Kong Two-dish-rice” Facebook group at the end of 2020 for netizens to share information on the topic. Today, the group has more than 150,000 members, and based on Wong’s tally, the number of two-dish-rice eateries in Hong Kong has grown more than fivefold from 100 at the end of 2021 to over 500 today. 

Wong told Lianhe Zaobao that after the pandemic, the trend of Hong Kongers heading up north to spend in the mainland has taken hold. Even though this has caused a precipitous drop in business for local eateries, the two-dish-rice fervour did not recede over the past year. Instead, there have been many breakthroughs. For example, some two-dish-rice eateries have diversified their dishes beyond the usual fish fillet in corn sauce and steamed egg to include premium ingredients such as abalone, giant grouper and lamb brisket.

As competition intensifies among two-dish-rice eateries, some famous ones have recently set up branches and expanded into groups, while those that fail to keep up opted to exit. At the same time, some F&B chains and large supermarkets have also joined the fray.  

Additionally, two-dish-rice eateries have gradually expanded to all parts of Hong Kong. Some of them took advantage of the post-pandemic drop in shop rentals to expand from commercial areas into residential areas, and even into core business regions such as the Central District. During lunch hour, snaking queues often form outside some two-dish-rice shops in the Central District as finance professionals and expatriates line up for their food. 

Marcus Chu, an associate marketing director in the commercial property department of a Hong Kong real estate company, said, “During the pandemic, an average of four to five new two-dish-rice shops opened every month in the non-core areas.”

He added, “There are no obvious signs of things slowing down even after the pandemic. Instead, two-dish-rice businesses can now be found in core business areas to meet the working crowds’ demand for take-away lunch, unlike the previous operating model of catering to those returning home from work or school.” 

“Hong Kong Two-dish-rice” Facebook group founder Wong Yuk-hay feels that the enthusiasm of Hong Kongers for two-dish-rice meals boils down to affordability and the diversity of options. One can also choose to be frugal or lavish, so it is unsurprising that such meals have replaced homecooked ones. 

He added, “Paying only around HK$30 or HK$60 to enjoy good-quality ingredients is the biggest reason for choosing two-dish-rice meals over other F&B options.”

Some have commented that the main reason for the rise of two-dish-rice meals in Hong Kong is the economic downturn, which led to locals tightening their purse strings. However, Wong pointed out that local unemployment rates have been low in recent years, so there is not much correlation between the two. 

In fact, while many locals scrimp on meals during the week, they eat sumptuously or head north to spend freely on weekends. So, he believes that another reason for the sudden emergence of two-dish-rice meals is the poor service in traditional F&B eateries. 

Recounting his experience from March this year of the terrible hygiene encountered at an eatery near his workplace, Wong said, “There were more than 20 dirty tables and only two service staff. After some difficulty, I finally got a seat, but the food was terrible. I was looking for a certain level of standard for service and food quality given that I was spending HK$60 to HD$70, but the traditional eatery completely failed to meet my expectations.”

In comparison, two-dish-rice meals are better value for money and hence increasingly popular with Hongkongers. Wong said, “One time, a customer left a comment on the website of a two-dish-rice eatery: ‘Restaurants sell satay vermicelli, can you serve this dish too?’ The owner of the eatery started offering the dish afterwards, that is such wonderful customer service.”

Henry Choi, a lecturer at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) Office of University General Education, told Lianhe Zaobao that around 2021, information and discussions of two-dish-rice meals gained traction in Hong Kong social media and public fora, and were probably linked to the ongoing pandemic then.

As things fully returned to normal in Hong Kong last year and all pandemic restrictions such as limits on the number of dine-in customers were lifted, the demand for two-dish-rice meals that can only be packed to go should have dropped, but there is still no sign that such businesses have suffered.  

Choi explained, “Inflation has become a serious problem in recent years and prices at many local restaurants are really high. Coupled with poor service, many Hongkongers now prefer to visit the more pocket-friendly two-dish-rice eateries instead.”

Additionally, the three pandemic years have also gradually altered the dining habits of many workers in Hong Kong and they have gotten used to take-aways. Two-dish-rice meals are a cheap and convenient option in this regard.

Wong feels that unlike back in 2003, the current two-dish-rice craze in Hong Kong would not disappear after the pandemic. In fact, he sees it as another F&B model that is developing steadily.  

Wong explained, “In the past, the majority of Hongkongers would choose to visit a professional hair salon to cut, treat or dye their hair. But in recent years, a growing number of people prefer haircut-only salons for cheaper and faster service. The former is akin to conventional eateries, while the latter is like two-dish-rice shops.”

He feels that normal eateries and two-dish-rice eateries are after different market segments. Now that the latter has consolidated its market share, it is unlikely to be easily replaced in future.

He also highlighted that two-dish-rice businesses face numerous difficulties and challenges in expanding, with cooks the key factor. Wong pointed out, “There is currently a shortage of good Chinese cooks in Hong Kong, so complaints about a drop in food quality often surface when some two-dish-rice eateries set up new branches. Managing such a business is a stern test of the owner’s abilities.”  

CUHK’s Choi feels that some of Hong Kong’s two-dish-rice eateries can consider moving upmarket in future. He feels that two-dish-rice meals can become Hong Kong’s specialty meals for high-speed rail or air travel, taking a page from the railway bento boxes that tourists to Taiwan can easily purchase from its Taipei Main Station. This would be a departure from the usual selection of dim sum, fish balls and instant noodles, and would enhance Hong Kong’s culinary image.

This article was first published in Lianhe Zaobao as “香港餐饮业遇冷 两餸饭炉火旺热”.

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