In Hong Kong, Wong Ting is known as a member of the “infantry” at the food delivery company Keeta.

在香港，黄婷是外卖平台Keeta的“步兵”。

That means Ms. Wong, 50, makes restaurant deliveries by foot. Many of her colleagues use bicycles or motorbikes — the “cavalry,” in Keeta lingo. Ms. Wong can log 40,000 steps in a six-hour shift, hoofing it up and down Hong Kong’s busy streets and narrow alleys.

这意味着50岁的她需步行配送餐厅外卖。黄婷的同事大多使用自行车或摩托车，用Keeta内部的话说，他们是所谓的“骑兵”。穿梭于香港的繁忙街头与狭窄巷弄间，黄婷一个班六小时走下来，步数可达4万步。

Keeta is the fast-growing overseas brand of Meituan, one of the dominant delivery companies in China. With China’s domestic economy slowing and its consumers more frugal, Chinese brands are seeking new business overseas.

Keeta是中国头部外卖企业美团快速发展的海外品牌。面对中国国内经济放缓和消费紧缩，中国品牌正在出海寻求新的商机。

And some, like Meituan, are using Hong Kong as a trial market to test the waters.

而比如美团这样品牌正在将香港作为海外市场的试水地点。

A former British colony that has long been a gateway between China and the world, Hong Kong has in recent years become increasingly aligned with China politically and economically. But the city, formally a special zone of China, retains much of its international culture and customs, making it an attractive test bed for Chinese companies.

香港曾是英国殖民地，长期以来扮演着中国与世界之间的桥梁角色，而近年来，这座城市在政治和经济上与中国日益趋同。但作为中国的特别行政区，这座城市保留了许多国际文化习俗，使其成为中国公司理想的试验场。

“Hong Kong is part of the global market with global investors and internationally compliant regulations,” said Jin Lu, a strategic communications consultant at PRConnect (HK) who has worked with many brands in China, including PepsiCo and McKinsey.

“香港是全球市场的一部分，拥有全球投资者和符合国际标准的监管体系，”港嘉咨询的战略传播顾问卢劲表示。他曾与多家在华运营的国际品牌合作，包括百事公司和麦肯锡。

部分餐厅老板抱怨Keeta佣金过高。但他们也承认其带来大量订单。

In June, iFlytek, a Chinese information technology company, entered Hong Kong. Its chairman, Liu Qingfeng, said iFlytek saw the city as a “bridgehead” to going overseas, citing its international business services and multilingual population. Another brand testing the waters is Shoo Loong Kan Hot Pot, one of China’s largest hot pot franchises, which has opened a branch in Hong Kong. Its manager described the city as “the best window for a company’s brand exposure” in the world.

今年6月，中国的信息科技公司科大讯飞进入香港。董事长刘庆峰表示，科大讯飞将香港视为“出海的桥头堡”，强调这里具备国际化的商业服务与多语种人口。另一个来此试水的品牌是中国最大火锅连锁之一的小龙坎，其首店已落地。该店经理形容“若企业为品牌曝光，香港仍是最佳窗口”。

For Meituan, Hong Kong was the “first step in international exploration,” the company’s founder, Wang Xing, said in 2023. It initially offered its services to restaurants in what it considered pilot zones: the commercial hub of Mong Kok and the residential area of Tai Kok Tsui.

美团创始人王兴在2023年曾表示，对美团而言，香港是“香港是境外业务探索的第一步”。该公司初期服务试点区域位于旺角商业中心和住宅区大角咀。

A year later, Keeta tried its model in Saudi Arabia, choosing the central city of Al Kharj for its launch. It later entered Riyadh, the capital, where there is fierce competition in food delivery. Within four months, Keeta became a top-three platform in Saudi Arabia.

一年后，Keeta在沙特阿拉伯尝试其模式，选择中部城市阿尔卡吉作为启动地。随后进军竞争异常激烈的沙特首都利雅得。四个月内，它就跃居沙特外卖平台前三。

“We approach global expansion with a measured pace,” Mr. Wang said last year. “We will stay patient and continue exploring while maintaining financial discipline.”

王兴去年表示：“我们以稳健的步伐进行全球扩张。我们将保持耐心，持续探索，同时坚守财务纪律。”

Meituan said in May that it would spend $1 billion to set up operations in Brazil.

美团在5月宣布，将投入10亿美元开拓巴西市场。

在香港的Friends Restaurant，一名工作人员用Keeta的食品袋打包外卖。

But to its critics, Keeta has been anything but patient in Hong Kong. In only two years, it has reshaped the city’s food delivery business, driving out Deliveroo, once the main player in Hong Kong, with aggressive tactics like slashing delivery costs.

但批评者指出，Keeta在香港的表现与“耐心”毫不沾边。短短两年间，它以削减配送费用等凌厉手段重塑了香港的外卖市场，将曾是主要外卖平台之一的Deliveroo挤出了局。

Delivery workers say they were lured to work for Keeta with financial incentives, only to see their pay reduced.

配送员表示，他们最初被Keeta的经济激励措施吸引，随后却遭遇薪酬下调。

For example, Ms. Wong said she had started out earning as much as $4.20 for each order, including a small bonus for deliveries she made on time. Now, she said, she makes an average of $2.60 an order and is expected to work faster or risk her bonus.

例如，黄婷说，刚开始的时候每单能赚28港元，其中包括准时送达的小额奖金。而现在，她说平均每单只有20港元，并且要加快速度，不然有失去奖金的风险。

“The competition became so intense all of a sudden that it completely disrupted the market,” said Mr. Lu, the consultant at PRConnect (HK).

“竞争突然变得如此激烈，彻底扰乱了市场，”港嘉咨询的战略传播顾问卢劲说。

In China, the fierce competition is the norm, especially among delivery businesses. Consumers expect on-demand, low-cost service. When Keeta arrived in Hong Kong in 2023, it offered new users nearly $40 in discounts and fee waivers, followed by sustained promotions like free delivery during certain times of day or half-price meals.

在中国，激烈的竞争是常态，尤其是在外卖行业。消费者期待又快又便宜的服务。2023年Keeta进驻香港时，向新用户提供300港元的优惠礼包，随后持续推出各种促销活动，限时免配送费、半价餐等。

The subsidies worked. Keeta had a little over a quarter of the overall food delivery market share in early 2024. By the end of the year, it had climbed to nearly half, according to Measurable AI, a consumer data company. Over the same period, the market share of Keeta’s competitors Foodpanda, a Singaporean company, and Deliveroo dropped.

补贴策略成效显著。根据消费者数据公司Measurable AI的数据，Keeta的市场份额在2024年初仅超25%，到年底就飙升至近50%。而同期，来自新加坡的竞争对手Foodpanda以及Deliveroo的份额均出现萎缩。

Deliveroo, a British multinational, quit Hong Kong in April. It had operated in the city for nine years and once held a 60 percent market share.

经营九年、曾占六成市场份额的英企Deliveroo于今年4月退出香港市场。

In May, hundreds of Keeta delivery workers went on strike seeking better pay and conditions.

5月，数以百计Keeta外卖员罢工，要求提高工资和改善工作条件。

The bonuses and other financial incentives Keeta initially offered workers shrank while the speed demands and other pressures intensified, according to Justine Lam, a specialist at the Delivery Workers’ Rights Concern Group. Keeta narrowed the windows in which it expected workers to make deliveries. Some cut safety corners and ran red lights, according to Ms. Lam.

“外卖员权益关注组”成员林凯汶称，Keeta初期提供的奖金和激励持续缩水，而速度要求和其他压力却不断加剧。公司收紧了配送时限。林凯汶称，部分外卖员为此甚至忽视安全，闯红灯。

Protesting workers have demanded a minimum base pay of $6.50 per order and formal employment contracts. Keeta said that income was “multifaceted” and that base pay didn’t reflect actual earnings, emphasizing its commitment to “flexible work opportunities.”

罢工的外卖员要求每单最低基本工资50港元，并签订正式雇佣合同。Keeta表示，收入“为多项组合而成”，底薪并不能反映实际收入，并强调公司致力于提供“适切的工作模式”。

A Keeta spokesperson said the company “always prioritizes the safety of its couriers, striving to optimize their delivery experience and safeguard their income.”

Keeta公司发言人表示，公司“始终将送递员的安全放在第一位，并持续优化送递员伙伴的配送体验、保障送递员群体收入”。

For their part, some restaurant owners complained about the commissions they paid to Keeta. But they also said they got large volumes of orders by using Keeta.

部分餐厅老板抱怨Keeta佣金过高。不过，他们也承认其带来大量订单。

Dee ChaimongAran, 36, said Keeta helped bring as much as one-third of the business to his Thai takeaway eatery, Friends Restaurant. However, its 28 percent commission squeezed his profits.

36岁的迪·猜蒙阿兰表示，Keeta为他的泰国菜外卖餐厅Friends Restaurant创造了三分之一的营业额。然而，28%的佣金挤压了利润。

短短两年时间，Keeta就重塑了香港的外卖业版图，并将Deliveroo赶出了市场。

“It brought in many orders, so it’s hard for us to dislike Keeta,” he said.

“它带来了那么多订单，我们很难不喜欢Keeta，”他说。

Mandy Hu, director of the Center for Consumer Insights at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said Keeta’s success could lead to a “winner takes all” situation that hurts restaurants, consumers and workers.

香港中文大学消费者洞察中心主任胡曼恬表示，Keeta的成功可能导致“赢者通吃”的局面，损害餐馆、消费者和工人利益。

With Deliveroo out, Hong Kong’s food delivery market is now shared about equally by Keeta and Foodpanda. Ms. Hu said the Hong Kong government should supervise and regulate the sector more methodically.

随着Deliveroo的退出，香港的外卖市场现在由Keeta和Foodpanda平分秋色。胡曼恬说，港府需建立更为系统的行业监管机制。

Keeta’s sudden growth has also tapped the resentment that many Hong Kongers feel toward China, whose leaders have taken a heavier hand in the city’s governance. The day that Deliveroo announced it would exit the market, people lit up local social media platforms with their anger at what they saw as another example of China’s growing influence.

Keeta的迅猛扩张也触发了许多港人对中国的不满——中央政府近年来对香港采取强硬手段。Deliveroo宣布退出香港市场的当日，人们在社交媒体上表达愤怒，认为这是中国影响力日益增长的又一个例子。

Still, for some workers, such as Xie Long, a master’s student from the southwestern Chinese city Chongqing, Keeta is a good way to make a living.

但对一些外卖员来说，比如来自中国重庆的硕士生谢隆，Keeta仍是一个不错的谋生方式。

Mr. Xie, 26, said Keeta offered him flexible part-time work that helped cover Hong Kong’s high living costs. He said he earned about $250 a month, which covered about half his expenses.

26岁的谢隆表示，Keeta提供了灵活的兼职工作，帮助他支付香港高昂的生活成本。他说每月的收入约2000港元，这大致覆盖了他一半的开销。

“The income is not very stable,” said Mr. Xie, who is studying engineering and struggling to find internships. But he added: “I’m not afraid of hard work. As long as I can earn money, I’m OK with it.”

“其实收入并不是很稳定，”正在学习工程学并努力寻找实习机会的谢隆表示。但他补充道：但我不怕吃苦，只要能赚到钱就可以。”