Adrian’s Insights

Confidence in F&B is flooding back to Central and Wyndham Street is leading the charge. By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law The Centrium sees Slainte! An Irish pub plus SOFA, an R&B “family music salon” (a tilt to a classic Hong Kong cinema theme?) … and opposite: 180 degrees modern fire grill: all set to

The Boston Steakhouse in Wan Chai is a survivor! By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law Some sights in Hong Kong slip away, and you forget about them. Given the ever-changing landscape, you even expect them to be gone the next time you look. But the Boston Steakhouse in Wan Chai is a survivor. It’s been

The terror of AI is that it can sound absolutely certain while inventing something that never existed By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law I don’t usually write about client challenges, but one client ended up genuinely alarmed after an AI confidently invented a legal “rule” that simply did not exist. The LLM presented a fabricated

Were Hong Kong’s dog friendly F&B guidelines written by dogs? By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law 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

I used to live here, in the same building that is now home to the International Organization for Mediation in Hong Kong. By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law I used to live here, in the same building that now houses the International Organization for Mediation in Hong Kong. Many years ago, when I was serving

Ride hailing, supply and demand, Uber and Hong Kong, something is still very wrong By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law We all know the absurdity of Hong Kong’s taxi situation: difficult area segmentations, poor supply, old vehicles, to say nothing of incompetent and rude drivers. All of the above are still sadly recurring features of

Hong Kong is coming back as a concert stop as Kraftwerk just showed! By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law Hong Kong is coming back as a concert stop as Kraftwerk just showed, the size and scale of impact music has, can’t be underestimated. Chatting with a fan who flew in from Beijing, who wasn’t even

What is an amazing .com domain name worth? By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law https://hklawyer-ajhalkes.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Diyi-Number-plate-in-Hong-Kong.mp4 What is an amazing .com domain name worth? The good news is that, perhaps, if you own a good one, it could be up to US$70 million. Now, ai.com has set a new bar, meaning x.com, which Elon Musk bought,

Construction is under way at Dragon-i that was part of our lives for years! By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law Construction is underway at Dragon-i that was part of our lives for years. Pivotal to the city developing as a true international nightlife hub. Gilbert Yeung brought design, flair, quality, plus an incredible range of

The government has imposed standards on protective netting around occupied residential properties By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law The government has imposed standards on protective netting around occupied residential properties, yet it appears buildings under construction are not subject to the same requirements. It seems a specific fire safety standard does not apply to the

When water is basically free and all F&B outlets have a filtration system – why charge? By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law When water is basically free, and all F&B outlets have a filtration system, is it illegal to not allow people to drink water unless they pay for it? Well, every premises or business

Suffering long term COVID effects is very real for some businesses By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law Suffering long-term COVID effects is very real for some businesses. Even though the Hong Kong Government’s support for businesses was extensive. Loans, salary subsidies, and a locked-in local consumer base saw many F&B outlets perform reasonably well, despite

Hire the right influencers, create the right buzz, now you can sell almost anything! By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law I wrote about this place opening on a site that, for many years, never really worked for anyone, opposite Stauntons, it now seems to be in a state of resurgence. With a different client base,

So Hong Kong is lucky, here comes Luckin Coffee By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law So Hong Kong is lucky, here comes Luckin Coffee. Will they be all over the city in a flash? Will we soon have 100 of them? I am interested in what level of dilution this creates for other coffee options

Not near the mid-levels HK escalator, you’ll struggle running a business in HK (SoHo) By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law If you’re not near the mid-levels Hong Kong escalator, you’ll struggle running a business South of Hollywood Road in Hong Kong (SoHo). Development has fundamentally altered the area; it remains a question mark. I was involved

Adrian Halkes appointed to the eBRAM Panel of Mediators! By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law Happy to share my appointment to the eBRAM Panel of Mediators, using its innovative, tech-driven international dispute resolution platform in Hong Kong. eBRAM enjoys strong support from the HKSAR Government, together with funding, policy endorsements, and collaborations such as the

Geronimo in Lan Kwai Fong is closing By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law Geronimo in Lan Kwai Fong is closing; a 13-year ago leap of faith and courage, when my client, a Tokyo bar operator, opened in Hong Kong, is over. But why is it closing? Is it a slowdown in drinking, the declining attractiveness

Hong Kong has many quirky food and coffee spots for tourists and locals By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law Hong Kong has many quirky spots for tourists and locals. Upper Lascar Row is right up there; it is also becoming a bit of a coffee and food street, albeit the outlets are mostly hidden behind

Early bird gets the bun at the Sing Fat bakery in Kam Tin By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law EARLY BIRD GETS THE BUN at the Sing Fat Bakery in Kam Tin, but the place comes with a simple warning: get there early, or you will miss all the good stuff. Before Kam Tin even

Is now the best time in decades for Hong Kong F&B operators to buy their own premises? By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law Is now the best time in decades for Hong Kong F&B operators to buy their own premises? This means stability, freedom from rent increases and has made people rich before; so why

Bad reviews do not mean bad business By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law Bad reviews do not mean bad business. Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good food and drink; the successful in the food and beverage industry know this. Failures do not. A client recently pointed out that one of their most commercially

AI already is “way better” than junior human lawyers in many areas By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law This is the harsh truth: “You have law firms that are currently not wanting to hire junior lawyers because, well, the AI is way better than a junior lawyer who has just graduated from law school.” Not

Once in a decade Jiao Festival organised by the indigenous Tang clan By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law Hop up to Kam Tin if you have time for the once-in-a-decade Jiao Festival organised by the indigenous Tang clan of Kam Tin over a five-day, six-night span that began today, dating back over 300 years. It’s

Privacy matters a lot if you run bars, restaurants, fitness venues, shops and clubs. By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law Privacy matters a lot if you run bars, restaurants, fitness venues, shops and clubs. It also matters in shopping malls and buildings. If you have a CCTV system anywhere the public may access, you must

People just don’t care enough about bicycles in Hong Kong By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law People just don’t care enough about bicycles. But they can be recycled by a social enterprise, so why do we just scrap them? We could even raid them for parts. If anyone wants to connect the dots and do

Lucky postbox number eight is a “non functional” part of Hong Kong‘s cultural heritage! By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law Lucky postbox number eight is a “non-functional” part of Hong Kong‘s cultural heritage; are we now featuring things like this quite enough? Strolling round Sai Ying Poon the other night, I bumped into this heritage

There is a reason why manufacturers pricing products is a good thing; to stop retail gouging. By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law We made these crisps ourselves in the 70s.. but why are they £1.76 (30% more) in Hong Kong? There is a reason why manufacturers’ pricing products is a good thing: to stop retail

Why did COYOTE fail or just close, why has it not been snapped up? By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law What went on? Why did COYOTE fail or just close? Why has it not been snapped up? Some thoughts as to times, change, and of course the F&B landscape, if you’re interested. Apologies for a

On yer bike or it will be seized! Cycling – New Territories HK By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law On yer bike or it will be seized! The New Territories of Hong Kong has a long history of bicycling; yet I’m seeing notices stating parked bicycles are in unlawful occupation of government land, but why?

A small or big investment in an F&B business in Hong Kong may or may not be a good idea. By HK Lawyer AJ Halkes Barrister-at-Law One of the most visible and exciting openings in Hong Kong’s F&B scene (back in the day!) came with an incredible buzz, followed by an equally fascinating decline. The