A popular rendezvous for the elderly to socialize in Shanghai - a restaurant owned by Swedish furniture giant Ikea - is now off-limits to those who don't buy food.

Ikea told its Xuhui restaurant a week ago to prohibit people from occupying seats if they don't pay. Since then, the crowds have shrunk noticeably during the lunch hour, as much as half, according to informal observers and a security guard.

Every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon for years, elderly people flooded to the restaurant to meet friends or a future partner at zero cost - sometimes exceeding the 700-seat capacity.