A catering industry group on Thursday said a survey it backed suggests many people are reluctant to start eating out again, even as pandemic social distancing rules are eased.

The Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants & Related Trades said a survey of about 1,100 people showed that one-in-five intend to dine at restaurants less often in future, citing hygiene worries or the fact they have become used to getting takeaways during the pandemic.

The study also involved speaking to operators and workers in the industry and identified problems with recruiting and retaining staff because of low pay and long hours.

Theo Cheung, a member of the federation, said technology could help change things, but this would not be an easy step.

“Digital coupons can help you grow more sales, market to more people, right? This is a tool that is widely available, but those things need time to understand and adapt to. Frontline staff need to promote it, need to know how to accept a coupon... so a lot of training is involved,” he said.

Many of the restaurant owners polled, however, said they couldn't afford to invest in any new technology.

“If we don’t have the support from the government, then more companies or enterprises are not able to roll out these kind of operations,” chairman Simon Wong said, adding that the sector has already suffered a HK$17 billion loss in the first quarter of this year.