Mong Kok Cooked Food Market to Temporarily Close for Upgrade Works
HK01 · 2 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
The Mong Kok Cooked Food Market, located on the second floor of the Mong Kok Complex at the base of the Cordis Hotel, will temporarily close from next Tuesday for optimization and improvement works. The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) expects the project to be completed by November 2025. The renovation will focus on the market entrance and dining areas, with improvements including ceiling replacements, new fans, roller shutters, ceiling lights, special lighting installations, electronic information kiosks, sinks, and umbrella dryers. Mechanical and electrical upgrades are also part of the scope.
Key Points
- Mong Kok Cooked Food Market sits on the second floor of Mong Kok Complex, situated at the base of the Cordis Hotel, and is managed by the FEHD
- The optimization project will upgrade the entrance and dining areas, including ceiling, fans, roller shutters, and lighting
- New facilities will include electronic information kiosks, sinks, and umbrella dryers
- Completion is targeted for November this year ; works expected to last at least three months
- Some stall operators have chosen to close permanently, citing inability to survive three months without business
- The operator of Yew Lam Kitchen described current air conditioning as inadequate, making both kitchen and dining areas uncomfortably hot
Why It Matters
The temporary closure affects dozens of small business operators, some of whom have decided to shut down permanently rather than weather a three-month shutdown. This highlights the economic pressures facing traditional cooked food operators amid infrastructure upgrades, even as the government positions its Market Modernisation Programme—launched in 2018—as a success story, pointing to increased foot traffic at Queen Street Cooked Food Market and completed upgrades at Ap Lei Chau and Wo Hop Shek as evidence of the programme's benefits .
The temporary closure affects dozens of small business operators, some of whom have decided to shut down permanently rather than weather a three-month shutdown. This highlights the economic pressures facing traditional cooked food operators amid infrastructure upgrades, even as the government positions its Market Modernisation Programme—launched in 2018—as a success story, pointing to increased foot traffic at Queen Street Cooked Food Market and completed upgrades at Ap Lei Chau and Wo Hop Shek as evidence of the programme's benefits .