Hong Kong Unrest: Restaurants lose money and shed jobs

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Protests in Hong Kong have put a dent in the city's economic outlook. The service sector is hurting as the number of tourists fall and locals choose to stay away from crowds. Our reporter Xu Xinchen visits a local restaurant, whose business has suffered a nosedive over the past two months. Here's the story.

This is the kitchen in one of the most popular crab houses in Hong Kong. Now, the only noise here is from the air conditioner and for the owner, the clicking sound of utility bills and rent inside his head.

WONG CHING-TUEN RESTAURANT OWNER "Not many people are coming to eat. There aren't many tourists. And few locals come because rallies block the roads."

20 percent of Wong's customers are foreign tourists. And 40 percent are tourists from the Chinese mainland.

XU XINCHEN HONG KONG "As fear of violent clashes between protestors and police spreads, some restaurant owners including Mr. Wong have reported business losses of over 50%."

Wong says that he is losing 3 million Hong Kong dollars a month from his four restaurants. That's 380,000 US dollars. And staff who live from paycheck to paycheck are also deeply worried about the economic downturn.

TSUI KIN-FONG WAITRESS "I'm afraid of losing my job. No job means no food. I have two kids, and I still have to pay rent."

And that fear could become reality if protects continue. A number of restaurants near Mr. Wong's crab house have shut down.

WONG CHING-TUEN RESTAURANT OWNER "If the situation does not get better, we'll need to close two or three of our restaurants. If we continue to lose money, we do not have that much money to support the business."

Wong has already laid off all his part-time workers — some 20 of them. Other restaurants in Hong Kong are having to do the same to stay in business. Some are asking full-time workers to take annual leave as the unrest continues. Xu Xinchen, CGTN, Hong Kong.