Were Hong Kong's dog friendly F&B guidelines written by dogs?

By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law

AJ Halkes
September 1, 2026
12:06 pm

Were Hong Kong’s dog-friendly F&B guidelines written by dogs?

Because if you read them, you might start wondering who is the major beneficiary of the move?

One recommendation, at around 1:39 in the guidance, suggests that if a customer without a dog is uncomfortable, the operator should offer takeaway packaging.

The suggestion being the customer without a dog may end up boxing their unfinished meal and leaving as one of the suggested resolutions.

https://lnkd.in/gyB9JJA9

Is that really the customer experience policymakers intended to promote?

It is no surprise that it is being reported that some operators are handing these permissions back. “Restaurants lose appetite for dog-friendly scheme” was how the SCMP put it, highlighting immediate penalties being threatened; complaints are mentioned, however no number has been put on how many have left the scheme or just decided not to use the permissions.

Looking through some of the other extraordinarily complex guidelines also makes me wonder who actually drafted them, and whether enough thought was given to how they would work in practice and manpower for both businesses and customers. Even the possibility that your server was cleaning up after a dog some time earlier may be too much for a customer.

Who knows, the next step could be a regime where F&B outlets exist that only allow customers in if they have a dog with them. 🙂

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

HongKong Hospitality FoodAndBeverage Regulation PublicPolicy CustomerExperience BusinessStrategy HKSAR hashtagGovernance hashtagLegalStrategy

Were Hong Kong's dog friendly F&B guidelines written by dogs?

By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law

Confidence in F&B is flooding back to Central and Wyndham Street is leading the charge.

The Boston Steakhouse in Wan Chai is a survivor!

The terror of AI is that it can sound absolutely certain while inventing something that never existed

Were Hong Kong’s dog friendly F&B guidelines written by dogs?

Home to the International Organization for Mediation in Hong Kong

Ride hailing, supply and demand, Uber and Hong Kong, something is still very wrong

Hong Kong is coming back as a concert stop as Kraftwerk just showed

What is an amazing .com domain name worth?

Construction is under way at Dragon-i that was part of our lives for years

The government has imposed standards on protective netting around occupied residential properties

When water is basically free and all F&B outlets have a filtration system – why charge?

Suffering long term COVID effects is very real for some businesses

Hire the right influencers, create the right buzz, and it seems you can now sell almost anything

So Hong Kong is lucky, here comes Luckin Coffee

Not near the mid-levels HK escalator, you’ll struggle running a business in HK (SoHo)

AJ Halkes appointed to the eBRAM Panel of Mediators in HK