Hello Kitty! Hong Kong Opens First Chinese Restaurant Themed After Famous Feline
The cat continues her march toward total domination of the hospitality industry.
— -- Hello Kitty -- a.k.a. the cat who is not a cat, but rather the personification of a cat -- continues her march toward domination of the hospitality industry with a new Chinese restaurant in Hong Kong.
The dim sum dining spot isn't the first Hello Kitty-themed restaurant to open, but it is the first to serve Chinese cuisine.
There's also a Hello Kitty jet, a Hello Kitty hotel suite and a Hello Kitty theme park.
The owner of the new Hong Kong-based restaurant told TIME magazine that despite her roots, Hello Kitty is "more popular in Hong Kong than in [her native] Japan.”
A popularity that's paramount to the restaurant's success: It's not just the decor that carries the theme, but the food itself. Think shrimp dumplings bearing Hello Kitty's likeness. More than half the menu items bear a resemblance to the famous feline.
The restaurant, according to its Facebook page, has hired a chef with over 40 years' experience who "attaches great importance to food presentation." The promise "Cantonese cuisine flavor combined with local high quality fresh ingredients and produce more healthy and delicious Hello Kitty classic dishes."
