At large Hong Kong dim sum restaurants, diners may state their party size at the entrance and receive a queue number. The Hong Kong Tourism Board advises weekend visitors to arrive early and be ready to queue. Because an open table must fit the group, calling order can differ from a simple first-come line.
The queue may be one sequence, but the tables are not all the same. Party size and willingness to share quietly reshape the order in which diners reach a table.