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, pledging to take enforcement action if any violation of the Trade Descriptions Ordinance was found. The restaurant is part of Super Star Group in Tsim Sha Tsui.

The restaurant’s suspected closure came to light after local wedding gown company Peache Bridal Atelier revealed that a client who had planned to hold their December banquet there found the elevator 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,” the company founder Vienna Lau said.

“A client of mine told me they paid a deposit of HK$30,000 [US$3,860] 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.”