Hong Kong  - Cost-conscious diners in Hong Kong are choosing chicken over caviar as the impact of the global economic downturn starts to be felt in the territory, a newspaper reported Monday.

Budget restaurant chains such as Cafe de Coral and Maxim's are seeing busy restaurants while top-end restaurants, including Caviar Kaspia, are seeing empty tables even during the busy dinner period, the South China Morning Post said.

Cafe de Coral serves about 300,000 customers a day at its 584 restaurants in Hong Kong. Diners, attracted by meal packages costing 30 to 50 Hong Kong dollars (3.80 to 6.90 US dollars), form long queues outside its shops at lunchtime.

By comparison, Caviar Kaspia averages about 30 to 40 customers a day at its restaurant in the central business district.

Restaurant manager Ricky Leung told the newspaper that while dinner could cost 10,000 to 20,000 Hong Kong dollars at his eatery, the average price for lunch varied from 300 to 400 Hong Kong dollars per person.

The restaurant opened at the beginning of this year with the aim of attracting Hong Kong's business community, but it launched at a time when people in its target customer base were losing their jobs.

Lucia Cheung, Cafe de Coral's senior manager, said traffic at her restaurants was "resilient" during the downturn but added that it and swine flu are deterring patrons, keeping revenue growth under 10 per cent.

The firm, which serves basic fare, including barbecued pork and rice and chicken curry, plans to have 1,000 restaurants in Hong Kong in the next five years. (dpa)