This Hong Kong restaurant group is spending $650,000 to fly off 250 staff to homes

A Hong Kong restaurant group is splurging around US $650,000 to let their staff of 250 people fly off to their homes so that they can spend time with their families.

The restaurant has employees from various parts of the world, including India, Nepal, England and Italy, reports CNN. 

Apart from money on flights and the battery of Covid tests, the staff will also receive extra weeks of unpaid leave to enable them to undergo Hong Kong's notorious hotel quarantine when they return.

Hong Kong has one of the strict Covid regulations for returning residents. The travellers have to remain quarantined in designated hotels for either two or three weeks at their own expense.

But there is only one condition. The staff must have completed one year of service upon their return.

The programme was the brainchild of Black Sheep Restaurant's owners, Syed Asim Hussain and Christopher Mark.

“It was a silly idea we had after one too many bottles of wine… The next day we spoke with our business people -- they were totally against it. They’re there to help us not make stupid decisions,” Hussain told CNN.

But, Hussain and Mark still went ahead despite a resounding no from their advisors.

“Our business people are amazing and help us understand the liability and risk, but it's going to get in the way of doing the right thing,” Hussain said.

“This always is a business in which margins are razor thin, but especially now. I understand it was kind of brazen -- but it felt like the right thing to do,” he added.

(With inputs from agencies)