Parramatta Church St restaurants get ready to allow 50 diners as coronavirus rules ease
Restaurateurs on a popular western Sydney dining strip are getting excited about plating up as coronavirus restrictions ease - but they are not just breaking open the champagne just yet.
Parramatta
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Restaurateurs on Parramatta’s Church St are getting ready to plate up as COVID-19 lockdown restrictions ease but they’re not breaking open the champagne just yet with eateries still not a full capacity.
From June 1, the State Government will allow NSW government cafes, restaurants and pubs to serve 50 customers at one sitting.
Restaurant 317 owners Pierre and Christine Sande reopened their Mediterranean restaurant on May 15 after the government eased coronavirus rules and permitted 10 patrons on the premises.
The restaurant seats 150 diners but that has failed to ease Mr Sande’s concerns over declining trade at the restaurant he has run for 15 years.
“Even though we have 50 people we have restrictions on how many people we can seat because of social distancing,’’ Mr Sande said.
“People will say ‘Well you’re allowed to have 50 people’ but when I separate everyone I’m down to 30 people when I’m a 150-seat restaurant.
“The restaurant’s not going to have full capacity because of restrictions.”
Before the coronavirus pandemic struck, Church St businesses were stung by the disruption of Parramatta Light Rail construction, wiping out alfresco dining and deterring patrons.
“Now the hoarding’s coming up so we’ve lost our outdoor dining; it’s not a pretty picture,’’ Mr Sande, who pays $21,000 in rent each month, said.
“Realistically I don’t know how all these businesses are going to survive.
“We pay a premium rent on Church St and you’re not getting a premium product.’’
At Holy Basil, manager Mark Burza is optimistic, despite labelling the light rail work a nightmare.
“It was a nightmare for delivery because the roads changed every day sometimes,’’ he said.
However, he said the lifting of rules to allow 50 diners was a positive move for the 150-seat restaurant, which also has outdoor seating facing the Parramatta River and broke even during lockdown.
Thai La-Ong has remained open for takeaway during the coronavirus restrictions but has suffered a drop in trade.
“Before we normally had a lot of customers,’’ worker Kathy Piromark said.
“We get less orders. We still have regular customers but not good as before.’’
Restaurants along the strip have suffered setbacks since the light rail project started and many big name eateries have yet to announce when they will reopen.
Ray and Lou’s shut in summer, Criniti’s is gone and a question mark hangs over Lebanese establishment El Phoenican making a comeback.
Alex & Co’s Alex Aslan has also not confirmed a return date for his restaurant despite its vast layout.
Further up the road, Eels legend Peter Wynn has cautiously welcomed the relaxation of rules and hopes restaurant patrons will return to his sports store Peter Wynn Score.
The possibility of crowds returning to Bankwest Stadium in July is also fuelling this appetite for better business after a drastic drop of 80 per cent since March.
“I feel so sorry for the tenants – they’ve been whacked heavily,’’ he said.
“I think the biggest thing for my business is getting the NRL back and getting people back to the games, and the restaurants will be humming again.”