The gold leaf-crusted abalone tart, pork chop buns, designer sandwiches and free-flowing bubble tea were nowhere to be seen.
“We don’t do that anymore,” the staff member said. “If you want to eat, eat at our restaurant.”
A lavish offer of free meals to anyone over the minimum age of 21 – the minimum age for entry into Macau’s casinos – was recently featured on China’s Instagram-like social media platform, Little Red Book.
But the practice has all but disappeared after Macau’s gambling watchdog ordered six of the city’s gambling operators to stop offering free meals after nearby restaurants complained that the practice was affecting their business, local media reported.
“The food offered in the previous casinos could best be described as ‘eclectic,'” said Andy Wu Kaen Kuong, chairman of the Macau Tourism Industry Council.
“Maybe this has caused some tourists to get so carried away that they forget to visit other parts of the community.”
What he meant was that tourists who gobble down free meals have no reason to use the city’s restaurants.
In fact, there are social media posts outlining how to vacation in Macau on a “zero budget,” taking advantage of the many free services available outside of the casinos.
They suggested riding the hotel’s free bus to save on transportation costs, enjoying performances in shopping malls and hotel lobbies, and visiting souvenir streets for unlimited snacks and egg tart samples.
After restaurants complained, the casino responded by not serving food or drinks to anyone in public areas, instead offering free food and drinks only to gamblers.
While the issue appears to have been resolved for now, some restaurateurs say it reflects broader issues with Macau’s post-pandemic economy.
“The situation in our restaurant industry is very dire at the moment,” said Moon Tong Wuti, manager of the iconic Liquée Sho restaurant, which has been serving traditional Macanese cuisine for more than 30 years.
Like Hong Kong, Macau residents flock to nearby mainland Chinese cities such as Zhuhai for weekends and holidays.
“There was a time immediately after the pandemic when things seemed to be improving, but once the border with mainland China reopened and people were able to drive north again, it became very difficult for proper restaurants like ours to survive,” Tong said.
Meanwhile, tourists from mainland China and Hong Kong, who make up the majority of Macau’s visitors, appear to be less willing to spend.
“Macau used to be packed to the brim, especially in popular tourist destinations during major holidays, but what I saw during the ‘Golden Week’ holiday in May was a far cry from that,” she said.
The Ruins of St. Paul’s is a popular tourist attraction in Macau. The majority of tourists who visit Macau are from mainland China and Hong Kong. Photo: Elson Lee
Tong said the business has been losing money for five years and its immediate future looks bleak, and he would like the casinos to at least back off offering free food and drinks.
Justin Chan, a businessman who opened WJ Cafe, which sells Southeast Asian noodles and snacks, after the pandemic, said he was now not sure if he had made the right decision.
“We all assumed life would go back to normal once the pandemic was over, so we thought we’d give it a try,” he says. “Who would have thought that everyone would just leave?”
Some Macau office workers are said to even cross the border back into the city just for lunch.
It’s not just restaurants that are struggling.
Jessica Rey Ngassi, owner of jewellery shop Ourivesaria e Joalharia Cherry near the souvenir shops of the main tourist attraction, the Ruins of St. Paul’s, said the pace of recovery was slower than expected.
She felt the retail sector was struggling more than it had during the pandemic, when government support packages were in place.
International events such as the Russia-Ukraine war, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the upcoming US presidential elections have caused huge fluctuations in gold prices, hitting the jewellery trade.
“However, there has been some good news in that the tax-free threshold has been increased recently,” she said.
Beijing last month raised duty-free shopping limits for mainland Chinese travellers to Hong Kong and Macau to a maximum of 15,000 yuan ($2,060) per trip, with the measure taking effect at certain border crossings from July 1.
“We’re really hoping we can increase it even more,” Ray said.
