The cost of a Spring Festival Eve reunion dinner this year has increased by about 25 percent over last year, with minimum charges in some restaurants as high as 8,888 yuan (US$1,350) per table.
The price hike was mainly because of sharp increase in food prices and demand as more people decide to celebrate family reunion at restaurants, the Daily Sunshine reported Tuesday.
In the past, a table for about 10 people cost around 1,500 yuan and we could eat well, but we have to pay at least 2,000 yuan to eat the same dishes this year, a resident, identified as Huang, said.
More expensive restaurants were the most popular for reunion dinners and most had only a few tables left. The minimum charge at Futian Shangri-La Hotel in Futian District was 2,500 per 10-person table, while the minimum charge for a room at the Pavilion Hotel in Futian District was 6,800 yuan.
The minimum charge at Kempinski Hotel was one of the highest at 8,888 yuan, the newspaper said.
Smaller restaurants promoted reunion dinners for between 700 and 1,000 yuan. Set dinners for about 700 to 800 yuan are the most popular at our restaurant. The cheaper price and special local cuisine are the two attractions for diners, said Sun, the owner of a dumpling restaurant.
As in previous years, there will still be two or three sittings at restaurants. The first sitting is usually from 4 to 7 p.m., while the second starts after 7:30 p.m. Some restaurants, such as Miaoshi Chuancai Restaurants in Futian District, will have the first sitting at noon.
More families are employing catering services to eat at home this year. Although many restaurants did not offer outside catering for regular dishes, many prepared traditional festival basin dishes for families choosing to eat at home.
A basin dish costs 2,888 yuan this year and customers have to come to pick it up when it is ready, a Pavilion Hotel manager said.
Some families will also hire part-time domestic helpers to cook festival dinners at home. An experienced cook often charges about 30 yuan per hour or 200 yuan per day during the Spring Festival.
(By Wang Yuanyuan)