Lin Heung Lau reopens under the care of former employees

Lin Heung Lau, an old-fashioned teahouse that closed in 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, announced that it was reopened for trial operation at its original location in Central yesterday (April 1) and will officially open next Monday (April 8).

The teahouse trialed its operation yesterday starting at 6 am after the renovation works along with hiring previous workers to manage the establishment.

It will maintain the old-fashioned teahouse culture, including dim sum carts, and introduce the trendy tea beverage shop on the ground floor to attract more young customers.

Some old customers who went for the trial praised the new environment and the unchanged taste of the food.

The teahouse also announced on its social media platform that it is owned and operated by New Golden Limited, which is a separate entity and "not financially related to the previous owner(s)."

However, as the reopening news was announced on April 1, which was April Fool's Day, some netizens made fun of the fact that the restaurant's prior closing was just a hoax and instead closed down for repairs.

The teahouse first opened on Queen's Road Central in the last century before moving to Wellington Street in 1996, and has maintained the traditional teahouse operation model.

In 2019, the business was temporarily closed due to the expiration of the lease. Later, several employees and descendants of the teahouse owner successively took over the business under a franchise model. 

However, in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, the teahouse announced its closure again in 2022.