“Mister Softee” is dead—Hong Kong’s mobile ice cream king made it to 98. Let’s have more like Mr. Ho!

Back in 1970, Mr. Ho King Yuen launched Hong Kong’s iconic mobile ice cream vans; he reportedly passed recently. His business became a beloved part of Hong Kong’s streetscape. Yet, since that singular product—one that faced legal hurdles when the government tried to shut down “mobile hawking”—even food trucks have failed in Hong Kong.

Was this due to regulatory barriers or a lack of business sense in the approach? The F&B industry and the public wanted to see more innovation, yet this easy step was rendered complex, costly, and ultimately unworkable.

We desperately need to encourage more mobile and small entrepreneurs in food and retail. Why can’t we reinvigorate (or even properly use) our public spaces? Hong Kong has an abundance of underutilized waterfront space and other prime locations that could all host vibrant, small-scale enterprise.

There’s no better way to get started in business than setting up your own stall. Unlocking space for micro-businesses is a zero-cost initiative that would breathe new life into our economy and revitalize street-level enterprise.

It was always said that when Hong Kongers were down on their luck, they’d buy a box of oranges at the wholesale market and sell them individually on the street. That self-starter mindset built generations of businesses in this city. But over the decades, we’ve regulated street-level enterprise all but out of existence. The shutters have been pulled down on the very kind of start-up commerce that also gave Hong Kong its iconic street life and texture. It’s time to open space up for this and use the existing regulations that permit it.

We urgently need to revisit what made Hong Kong thrive—starting with a serious review of mobile hawker licenses and fixed pitch hawker licenses. These should and can be issued to bring back street-level commerce. This isn’t radical; it’s just how vibrant cities worldwide operate, it’s how Hong Kong developed and thrived.

Hawking is the original Kickstarter for cities like ours—so why isn’t it happening here?

If you need specific input regarding a strategic Hong Kong challenge or related legal matters in the HKSAR, you can always DM me and check out my profile at https://www.ajhalkes.com.

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