Three-time Paralympian Ho Yuen-kei, who represented Hong Kong in the Boccia Team, claimed that a Causeway Bay restaurant denied her entry due to “no space for wheelchair users.”
Ho shared her experience on Threads, saying that when she visited the Thai restaurant Ayutthaya staff informed her that her wheelchair would block other patrons.
”No wonder fewer and fewer people spend money in Hong Kong. The service is so bad now,” Ho wrote.
Her post sparked people online to criticize the restaurants, with dozens of them flocking to leave comments on the Thai restaurant’s Instagram.
Some posts questioned the restaurant for discriminating against wheelchair users.
”Hong Kong restaurants complained about no business while they discriminated against and reject disabled customers,” one comment read.
There were also web users who indicated they would file complaints to the Equal Opportunities Commission.
The operator of the restaurant subsequently apologized for the incident and said it could have been a misunderstanding, adding that the restaurant welcomes wheelchair users at all times.
He explained that restaurant staffers that day found that the wheelchair could possibly obstruct the aisle, with a risk of accidentally spilling food during delivery.
However, he acknowledged that the behavior of the staffers was inappropriate.