July 1, 2026 | Restaurants roll out special offers; long queues form. A $40 tea set is reduced to $28. Diners: “We’re so lucky!”

To celebrate the 29th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to China, more than 3,400 eateries are taking part in the July 1 celebration dining discounts. Today (the 1st), our reporter observed the Causeway Bay area. Causeway Bay’s shopping malls were bustling with activity, and in some restaurants offering July 1 discounts, the queue of diners was longer than the available seating. Some residents said the promotion was attractive and that they would spend more today, while some tourists said the government’s publicity was insufficient and urged more promotion on Xiaohongshu.

Children Arrange Their Itinerary Around the Discounts: Lunch, Then the Science Museum, and a Ride on the Ferris Wheel

Around 2:00 PM today, our reporter visited two chain restaurants in Causeway Bay to inspect their July 1 discounted offerings. At the chain restaurants with July 1 promotions, the tea set that originally cost 40 yuan was now only about 28 yuan, and queues had at one point extended to neighboring storefronts. Ms. Lo, who was lining up to have afternoon tea, said that after hearing about the discount from our reporter, she immediately remarked, “I’m lucky.” However, she said that she had come on the free tram just now, but the carriage was very crowded, so she would rather “pay two dollars for the ride.”

Mrs. Tsang, who came specifically to “eat roast goose,” praised the strength of the discount, saying, “Usually it’s rare to get this good a deal.” With experience shopping from the mainland, she said that even after discounting, Hong Kong is still more expensive than the mainland, but she would still “spend a little more” today. She also planned to take the tram more over the next two days, but hoped that buses would join in the promotion as well in the future—“Bus fares are also quite expensive.” As for the “M+” museum being free for admission today, Mrs. Tsang said the weather was too hot and the crowds were overwhelming, so she did not plan to go.

Young Chen, who was with his father, was familiar with the various July 1 discounts. He said that after lunch, he planned to go to the Tsim Sha Tsui Science Museum with his father, then ride the Ferris wheel, and finally take the tram back home—adding that he believed today’s discount offers were more than sufficient.

Residents Call for “More Rounds of Giveaways”; Grandma Steps Back at the Sea of People

Some residents also hoped the discounts would be “upgraded” or “sweetened further.” Ms. Chen, who was eating at a restaurant, said she had not known about the promotion in advance and had simply “planned to come by to eat.” She thought the promotion limited to just one day was too short and provided limited help to business, and that “the prices are actually pretty much the same.” She believed that extending the promotional period would help stimulate residents’ spending more.

With the weather rather hot, some queued diners decided to leave. Grandma Lau said she usually goes out to eat, so today she would also “go out to eat,” but “it’s a sea of people—I want to leave.” When asked whether she would patronize restaurants with discounts later, she said, “I don’t know where there are discounts—I have no idea at all.”

Besides residents, there were also tourists lining up. Mainland tourists Ms. Zhou and Ms. Xie also did not know about the July 1 discounts. They said they only saw that many people were queuing, so they chose this restaurant. They believed that although the discounts would help stimulate consumption, the Hong Kong government’s publicity was insufficient, and they suggested more promotion on the mainland social platform Xiaohongshu. But Ms. Zhou also said the discounts instead led to too many people, making it crowded to the point of unbearable, and that in the future she would choose to avoid coming to Hong Kong for July 1.

The shopping areas around Causeway Bay also saw strong foot traffic. Although there were no July 1 discounts, some provided free coffee vouchers for members. Some malls also set up July 1 exclusive promotions at their Kai Tak branch.

In addition, in many parts of Causeway Bay, there were plainclothes and uniformed police officers patrolling, and 3 to 4 officers were also stationed at entrances and exits of MTR stations. At around 2:30 PM, 102-year-old “Uncle Wong,” who had taken part in social movements, appeared on East Point Road in Causeway Bay, leaning on a cane. He said that after coming to Causeway Bay today, seeing “old friends” made him very happy, and he also chatted with passersby.