On the second day of trade since New South Wales eased restrictions to allow 10 people at a time to eat in at restaurants, regional cafes are weighing up whether it will translate to a boost in profit.
Mohammed Jammal, whose central Wollongong cafe boasts ample space for people to abide by physical distancing regulations, is delighted to be able to welcome 10 diners at a time.
The cafe owner has been offering takeaway products during the coronavirus lockdown and said the opportunity to slowly return to regular trade was a good outcome for his business.
"What's really good is to put the tables and chairs out gives you a feeling of normality, even if no one sits in them, you feel better behind the bench and it feels normal and it's a sign of hope," Mr Jammal said.
"At the start, everyone thought having just 10 customers dine in was unfair, bit the reality is it's a step in the right direction.
"We haven't done dining in for two months, so 10 people is probably a good start."
Mr Jammal said he was concerned about having to hire another staff member to service the tables, but has been able to manage the workload with just he and his wife.
"Dining in is more profitable so that's really good," he said.
"The people are understanding and you can manage."
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Cafe and patisserie owners Hannah and Gwenael Legall said the 10 person dine-in rule will not work for their business and they will stick with takeaway service only.
The tables and chairs have been stacked away to allow more queuing space at their 50-seat-capacity venue in Bathurst, NSW.
Meanwhile, a back room has been transformed into a space for employees to supervise their children on-site while school attendance has been disrupted.
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"We feel until we're allowed 50 per cent [sitting capacity] or more, it would not be the right choice for us to allow sit-down," Ms Legall said.
"And we are going to disappoint a lot of our customers in saying that."
The family business has suffered a 20 per cent downturn during the pandemic, but that figure meant their employees were ineligible to claim the Federal Government's JobKeeper wage subsidy, she said.
Bathurst councillor Jess Jennings is pushing to relax outdoor dining regulations to allow more food businesses to safely trade within the current social distancing rules.
He said allowing more shops to offer seating on footpaths would be a positive move for the economic survival and vibrancy of regional locations.
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"Council should be trying to minimise the red-tape and not charge a fee for it," Mr Jennings said.
"These are unprecedented times and they call for unprecedented policies to help get us out of it."
Krysten Hedger runs the Short Street cafe in Dubbo and said they have spent all week looking at ways to adjust to the 'new normal'.
Since the restrictions were put in place, Ms Hedger has adapted her business model by introducing a takeaway-only menu and cook-at-home meal kits.
She hoped local residents were patient as they began adding dine-in sittings.
"We are going to be taking bookings, say 6am-7am, 7am-8am and so on," Ms Hedger said.
"Everyone who dines in, we will have a form for them to fill out, and if there's a spike, we will be able to contact anyone who has been into the cafe.
"Hopefully everyone will understand, if we can't sit them, they can get takeaway and go around to the park and maybe come back later."
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