ROBERT Thraves had $32,000 in barbecue ready for Melbourne's Meatstock event when the pandemic forced its cancellation in March.
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"I didn't sell a sandwich," he said.
The Broke restaurateur, who co-owns Islington's Smoking Hot and Saucy with his wife, estimates COVID-19 meant he lost $900,000 overnight through catering, event and wedding bookings.
His business is one of many Hunter eateries eligible to host sit-down dining but choosing to forge on without it.
The open-air eatery will remain takeaway only beyond today's changes, which allow 10 dine-in patrons with social distancing.
"To allow 10 people to sit down, you are going to get another 10 come and try to sit down," Mr Thraves said. "I don't want to put the burden on my staff to have to move them on."
Despite the eatery's outdoor setting, there are no concessions under the rule changes designed to keep COVID-19 at bay while allowing trade to ramp up gradually.
"People look at us and think we are outdoors but we are classified as a restaurant," Mr Thraves said. "It's as if we have got four walls and we are treated the same."
Mr Thraves said every aspect of the business had gone under the microscope in their bid to keep going in an industry with notoriously slim margins.
"To be honest we've been operating as a takeaway just because I wanted to keep as many staff employed as we could," he said.
"It's a kick in teeth but I can't do anything about it. Hopefully at the back end of it people come out and support as many businesses as they can."
Adamstown cafe The Barn's owner Mathew Austin said logistics had led him to stick with the takeaway model implemented when lockdown began.
With trade down 60 per cent, Mr Austin said he was unsure when the cafe would offer eat-in service again.
"With the 10 rule, if we have five tables of two there's nowhere for anyone to stand around waiting for coffees," he said. "It's all about the distancing. We are planning to just run with takeaway as long as we can."
Around the corner, Adam's Pizza and Ribs confirmed they would not reopen beyond takeaways until 20 patrons were allowed.
The Glebe Road restaurant will tweak its entire approach as a result of the virus, doing away with table service to cut down on shared items including menus and cutlery.
A spokesman for the eatery said trade had been steady for the business, which was "lucky that we are a takeaway that has seating rather than a restaurant that does takeaway."
