HONG KONG, China (AFP) — Hong Kong resident Joe Lam was finally able to sit with his pet poodle Glutinous Rice inside an air-conditioned café on Thursday, as the city allowed dogs to enter restaurants for the first time in decades.

“Usually we sit outside, but I just found out that we can bring the dog in today, so we were happy, because at least it won’t be so hot,” Lam, a 62-year-old retiree, told AFP.

A staff member directed Lam and his wife to park the stroller carrying the 15-year-old dog next to a designated table, as authorities roll out the new policy aimed at helping the city’s struggling dining sector drum up business.

Since 1994, only service dogs and police dogs have been allowed inside food premises, but dog owners were allowed to sit outside with their pets at establishments with outdoor areas.

The law was amended this year, in part in response to public demand, after Chief Executive John Lee called for the promotion of a “pet-friendly culture” to cash in on a growing pet market.

“I think it’s great. It will give dog owners more choice,” said Lam, who refers to Glutinous Rice as his “second son”.

After the couple finished their afternoon tea and headed off, a staff member disinfected their table and seats, as well as those next to the group.

More than 900 restaurants are included in the first phase of the pet-friendly scheme, with hotpot and barbecue restaurants not eligible for a licence due to safety reasons.

Hong Kong, a city of about 7.5 million people, is also home to more than 400,000 pet cats and dogs, according to government figures.

Not everyone is supportive of the new scheme.

One elderly man who declined to give his name told AFP he did not want to dine next to dogs, fearing they would urinate on the floor.

“It’ll dirty up the place,” he said.

AFP journalists saw officials from the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department conducting inspections to check for compliance — including prominently displayed signs notifying patrons that dogs were now welcome on the premises.

Dogs must be leashed at all times, and must not be allowed onto dining tables or into rooms where food is being prepared.

Operators must thoroughly clean and disinfect the area if dogs defecate in the restaurant.

Those who flout the rules face fines of up to HK$10,000 (US$1,275) and jail for up to three months.

Restaurant owner Vanshika Sharma hopes the new policy will bring more customers and revive the food service industry, which has struggled to bounce back to pre-pandemic levels.

“Overall, it should help the industry flourish,” Sharma told AFP, hoping for more customers on the weekends, when many residents head to the Chinese city of Shenzhen for better deals.

Her restaurant, the Harbourview Grill, has a patio space that has long welcomed dogs.

It is located in a mall that has recently started marketing its pet-friendly features, which Sharma said has resulted in increased footfall.

“We’ve already seen a lot of pet customers who wanted to sit inside,” she said, adding that she expected business to increase by 20 to 25 per cent.

In the dining room, pet owner Anny Li told AFP that “the dogs are very happy, because they love air-conditioned places.”

Her two-year-old corgi, Nam Chai, was promptly shushed and bribed with pets and treats when it barked out of excitement.

Other than that, the dog remained calm, lying under the table with its two brothers even when Sharma brought out a plate of pork chops.

“They were very good, and weren’t noisy,” Li said, giving the dogs’ restaurant etiquette a nine out of 10.