Chasing Views Can Cost You Money. 5 Ways to Make Customers Remember You

In the first half of 2026, two buffet restaurants in the same Mong Kok food building (兆萬中心) closed one after the other. They had one thing in common: a staff member or the owner had starred in funny promotional videos, and business had picked up for a while because of them.

The first was a seafood buffet, 極上帝王水產. A staff member known as Siu Lung Gor often appeared on camera in catchy, comic promo videos, and the restaurant gained more than 100,000 followers on social media within a year. Some people online called it a comeback story. In February 2026, a screenshot of a staff WhatsApp group leaked to a Facebook group, saying the restaurant would close. Siu Lung Gor later confirmed it to the media. U Food reported (in Chinese) that the owner would keep it open until 31 March, citing his health, the end of the lease, a weak market and financial pressure. He called the previous year’s loss unprecedented and apologised to the staff who would lose their jobs.

Two months later it was the turn of a hotpot buffet on the 17th floor of the same building, 紅火鮮料火鍋專門店. The owner, Fai Gor, made the videos himself: comedy sketches and dances on Douyin and Xiaohongshu. Sing Tao reported (in Chinese) that the videos had lifted sales against the market trend, but the restaurant announced its closure on 13 April, with 3 May as its last day. In his farewell video, Fai Gor said Hong Kong’s economy was tough, joked that worrying about the business had cost him his hair, and thanked his customers for their years of support.

Neither owner blamed the videos for the closure. But if you are thinking about promoting your restaurant with short videos, both stories are worth a closer look.

Lots of views. So why couldn’t the business hold on?

The videos did work. In a 2024 interview with U Food (in Chinese), Siu Lung Gor and his colleague said the restaurant had only eight to ten tables a day before they started filming. They estimated the videos lifted sales by about 40%, and called that a conservative guess. By July 2025, Sing Tao reported the buffet had more than 150,000 followers. The hotpot buffet’s sales had also recovered for a time, and Fai Gor’s Xiaohongshu page built up about 13,000 followers (TOPick).

But bringing customers in doesn’t make other business problems go away. Rent and costs are not things a video can fix. After the hotpot buffet announced its closure, some people online said buffets are hard to sustain and rents are too high; one said there were only two tables at Sunday lunch. According to another Sing Tao round-up (in Chinese), at least seven popular buffets closed within seven months, two of them in the same building.

The wider market is tough too. According to the Census and Statistics Department, total restaurant receipts in Hong Kong were about HK$109.6 billion in 2025, only 0.2% more than in 2024. After adjusting for price changes, they fell 0.9%, and Chinese restaurants fell 2.9%. In the same year, Hong Kong residents made about 103.59 million departures through land crossings, 13.9% more than in 2024 (our analysis of Immigration Department daily passenger data). With customers heading north, the same marketing budget buys less business than before.

For most restaurants, a few things are worth keeping in mind. When the laughing stops, viewers often remember the person on camera, not the dish. The people watching may not live nearby, and may never come back. And the buzz needs constant feeding: each video has to be funnier than the last, while the person filming is also running the restaurant and serving customers.

Plan your content before you film

Funny videos are hard to keep making on inspiration alone. A steadier approach is to plan two things before you film: why viewers will keep watching, and what they will know about your restaurant by the end.

Think of each video in three parts:

Opening: a hook that makes people stop. This is what grabs attention. Humour, contrast or a challenge all work.

Middle: show what you sell. How the dish is made, how big the portions are, the price range, and what people can’t get anywhere else.

Ending: give viewers a reason to come. A limited dish, how many people it suits, an offer, or simply “See you in Mong Kok.”

Here are three examples:

A buffet: “Our staff name all 30 kinds of sashimi in one breath.” The challenge is funny, and while viewers watch, they see the variety and portions. End by explaining the difference between lunch and dinner, and viewers know when to come for the best value.

A local cha chaan teng: “The boss tries to invent a new milk tea, and fails.” Each episode is another failed attempt, with a bit about the tea leaves, the brewing method and the boss’s stubbornness along the way. When the new milk tea finally launches in episode five, people who followed along will want to try it.

A dessert shop: “Ask passers-by to guess the price.” Their reactions are the joke, while the camera shows the portion and the ingredients. When you reveal the price, what viewers remember is how big it was.

When you plan a month of content, you can also set a mix. For example, out of four videos, two use humour to feature your signature dish, one shows how it’s made, and one shows customers or creators trying it. The content stays fun, and viewers get to know your restaurant step by step.

Before you film, ask one last question: after watching this, would someone want to bring a friend? If they can’t say what you sell or where you are, the video is just borrowed attention, however funny it is.

5 ways to make customers remember you

1. Make one dish the star

Funny is fine, as long as the joke lands on the food. If the owner, completely straight-faced, pulls a string of melted cheese a metre long, people will laugh, and they will remember the cheese. Pick the dish that best represents you, and build every video around it.

2. Say clearly what you serve and where

Many videos run for a minute and flash the restaurant’s name for one second at the end. Put the signature dish and the district in the captions or the first frame, so people can find you when they want to come. For example, a first-frame caption reading “Mong Kok | Charcoal-grilled pork neck rice” tells viewers what and where in three seconds.

3. Invite a few people who really know food to try it

A viral video is quickly forgotten. Invite a few micro-influencers whose style matches yours to try your food, and let them introduce your dishes in their own way. Their posts appear on different days, and word of mouth builds over time. For example, run two rounds of tastings in your first month, each with three to five creators who often cover your district. That keeps the conversation going longer than inviting ten on a single day.

4. Watch saves and shares, not just views

When someone saves a post or sends it to a friend, they usually want to go. In our work with a restaurant that has been open for more than 50 years, four earlier Reels got only 213 saves and shares in total. After the creators were reselected, three Reels got about 17,000, nearly 80 times more.

5. Look after your first customers

A first visit is your best chance to win a second one. Reply to Google reviews and remember what regulars order. These things seem small, but they are what keep people coming back. For example, mention the dish in your reply: “Thanks for enjoying our Thai stir-fried pork neck rice. Next time, try our new honey-glazed wings.” Customers feel remembered.

How can you tell if a video brought customers in?

The simplest way is to ask. When customers order, ask “How did you hear about us?” After a month, you’ll have your answer. You can also check how many people searched for your name in your Google Business Profile, and whether reviews mention your signature dish.

If you want more genuine tasting posts, you could use an influencer matching platform such as Try.Eat!: you post a tasting campaign, creators apply, you choose by their grade, and you can review each post before it goes live. See our restaurant marketing plans for details.

FAQ

Do funny videos help restaurant marketing?

Yes, as long as the joke centres on your food. If viewers remember what you sell and where you are once they stop laughing, the video will bring people in.

Why do restaurants that promote with videos still close?

There is usually more than one reason. The two owners above mentioned the end of a lease, the market and economy, people spending across the border, health and financial pressure. Exposure can bring a burst of customers, but rent, cost control and repeat customers still need their own attention.

How should a new restaurant promote itself?

Choose one signature dish first. During your opening period, invite a few like-minded micro-influencers to try your food, and keep your Google Business Profile and reviews up to date.

Want your videos to actually bring customers in? Book a free 20-minute consultation.