A man eats a takeaway meal on a chair placed outside a restaurant in the Sham Shui Po district of Hong Kong in the early morning of July 29, 2020. (ANTHONY WALLACE / AFP)

HONG KONG - The year-on-year value of total restaurant receipts in Hong Kong declined sharply by 25.9 percent in the second quarter of 2020, according to figures released Monday by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government.

The decline narrowed from the record fall of 31.2 percent registered in the first quarter after the local epidemic situation abated and social distancing measures were eased in May and June, said a HKSAR government spokesman

The decline narrowed from the record fall of 31.2 percent registered in the first quarter after the local epidemic situation abated and social distancing measures were eased in May and June, said a HKSAR government spokesman.

ALSO READ: Hong Kong retail slumped again in June ahead of virus spike

Analyzed by type of restaurant and comparing the second quarter of 2020 with the second quarter of 2019, total receipts of Chinese and non-Chinese restaurants decreased by 31.7 percent and 22.3 percent respectively in value, according figures from the HKSAR government's Census and Statistics Department.

Total receipts of fast food shops and bars decreased by 19.9 percent and 46.5 percent respectively in value. As for miscellaneous eating and drinking places, total receipts decreased by 19.1 percent in value.

ALSO READ: HK recession eases slightly as GDP contracts 9% in Q2

The spokesman pointed out that the business environment of the food and beverage sector is expected to be highly challenging in the near term as the social distancing measures have been tightened again of late in response to the surge in local infection cases since July. 

He added that the HKSAR government will monitor the developments closely.

READ MORE: CE warns Hong Kong's recession will last 'long time'