By Oscar Liu

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A Hong Kong banquet restaurant that promoted its venue at a wedding expo last month is suspected to have shut without notice, leaving couples who made event bookings in the lurch.
The Customs and Excise Department said on Tuesday it had received reports about Starry Terrace’s suspected closure and pledged to take enforcement action if any violation of the Trade Descriptions Ordinance was found. The restaurant is part of the Super Star Group in Tsim Sha Tsui.
As of 5pm on Tuesday, the Consumer Council had received six complaints about the restaurant, involving HK$494,000 (US$63,510), with the highest single complaint reaching HK$109,000.
The suspected closure came to light after local wedding gown company Peache Bridal Atelier revealed that a client who had planned to hold a banquet there in December found the lift button for the restaurant’s floor was no longer working over the weekend.
“We personally went to the site [on Monday] to help my client find out if the Starry Terrace at 8 Observatory Road had already closed. Upon arrival, we asked the building’s management, which confirmed that no one had been seen inside the restaurant for two to three weeks,” company founder Vienna Lau said.
“A client of mine told me they paid a deposit of HK$30,000 to HK$50,000, but the restaurant was continuously pressing them for the second payment.
“They felt something was wrong and had been delaying the second instalment.”

She added a victim group on WhatsApp had been formed with about 100 people, adding it was hard for them to find another venue on short notice as wedding dates were usually packed on weekends or auspicious days.
A check by the Post found that Starry Terrace participated in the three-day Hong Kong Wedding Fair at the Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai last month, operating two booths.
An online user, who claimed to be a victim, said she had been in contact with the restaurant a few months ago and received no notice about the closure.
“The restaurant told me it had renewed its lease and that we could feel at ease paying the deposit,” she said, without disclosing how much she had paid upfront.
The restaurant had not opened at all in September, according to the online user.

“There was absolutely no notice given to any of the couples. I hope this spreads so other victims can be mentally prepared and quickly find a new venue. This is so unethical,” she added.
She urged other victims to reach out to her and see how they could team up to get their deposits back.
Starry Terrace is part of the same group as the Super Star Seafood Restaurant chain, whose last remaining branch in Mong Kok closed in July.
The Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authority said on Tuesday it had filed two separate claims with the District Court to recover about HK$900,000 in outstanding pension payments from May and June for 190 affected employees from the Super Star Group, including those from Starry Terrace.
The authority said it would launch enforcement action against the company for its non-compliance with court orders in repaying the outstanding amount.
It added the company also failed to pay MPF contributions for July and August for about 110 employees of the group, warning legal actions would follow if it did not pay immediately.
The authority had previously intervened and successfully recovered HK$1.4 million in unpaid contributions from February to April for 220 employees.
The Post has reached out to the Labour Department for comment.
The closure would mark the latest in a string of shutdowns in the catering sector amid the sluggish economy.