Do not bring foreign food or foreign beverages to Hong Kong restaurants to dine in

"Do not bring foreign food or foreign beverages to Hong Kong restaurants to dine in "

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[mainland China Female Tourist being Charged HK$100 Corkage Fee as surcharge for Bringing Her Own Soft Drink to Restaurant]

Most restaurants in Hong Kong do not allow dine in customers to consume their own brought (foreign) drinks , otherwise the customers will be charged extra money.

Recently, a female tourist from mainland China posted on Xiaohongshu or "little red book" (a Chinese social media platform) that she "drank a bottle of Coke for HK$117" in Hong Kong.

She brought a bottle of Coke to a Western restaurant, drank a few sips, and only discovered at the end of the meal that she had been overcharged HK$100 for corkage.

Combined with the initial HK$17 Coke she bought, she lamented that "a HK$17 Coke on the street has skyrocketed to HK$117!"

Therefore, she posted to remind other tourists visiting Hong Kong not to drink their own beverages in restaurants.

A woman posted on Xiaohongshu or "little red book" (a Chinese social media platform) with the title "Drank a HK$117 Coke in Hong Kong today," explaining that she had recently dined at a Western restaurant in Hong Kong and, without much thought, "brought in a half-empty bottle of Coke that I had finished drinking while shopping."

She even took a few sips during her meal.

However, when she went to pay the bill, she discovered that in addition to the 10% service charge, the restaurant also charged her a HK$100 corkage fee.

Since no one mentioned the corkage fee when she entered the restaurant, she asked the staff and learned that "bringing your own drinks is charged by default," thus the original HK$17 bottle of Coke "skyrocketed to HK$117."

The woman continued, saying that she usually does not pay attention to the issue of bringing your own drinks to restaurants, "I am used to bringing a cup of milk tea with me everywhere I eat in mainland China, and I even often buy milk tea specifically to eat at restaurants."

After this incident, she lamented that she could only consider it a lesson learned, "the most expensive Coke that I have ever drunk."

She also reminded other mainland China netizens that if the mainland China netizens are going to meal or dine at restaurants in Hong Kong, they should remember to drink their beverages beforehand or put them in their bags.

The post sparked a lot of discussion online, with some criticizing the restaurant's practice.

They argued that the restaurant staff should have first reminded customers before charging a corkage fee. 

Comments included:

"I think you should complain,"

"They should have reminded you instead of charging directly; complain!",

"Businesses charging corkage fees should also provide basic glass ware. If the restaurant provides a drinking glass, that is understandable, but if the customer drinks directly from the bottle, that is even fraud, scam and extortion,"

and "Mainland China is better; you can bring your own drinks anywhere without paying any surcharge to the restaurants ."

Do not bring foreign food or foreign beverages to Hong Kong restaurants to dine in or else you will be charged corkage fee