Private kitchen

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Private kitchen (Chinese: 私房菜) is a term in Hong Kong referring to an unlicensed, restaurant-like establishment for eating. Some of the perceived problems with running a restaurant in Hong Kong—high rents and the common practice of landlords extracting profits from restaurants through clauses in tenancy agreements—have led to the establishment of this type of eatery. Owners also have the additional benefit that many government regulations concerning restaurants can be avoided.

A typical private kitchen will be based in an ordinary apartment in a block of flats. Customers gain access by ringing the bell before the door is opened from the inside. Inside, the flat will be set out as a simple restaurant. Usually, it provides not only quality home-made food and drink, but a sense of being at home. Advertising is usually by word of mouth—it's often not possible to have prominent signs outside to advertise the business' presence, as with a normal commercial establishment. Some private kitchens make it compulsory for patrons to phone ahead first to book. The quality of this kind of restaurant is highly dependent on the consistency in both the ingredients and the chef's talents. So, the quality over long period of time cannot be guaranteed.^{[citation needed]}