Bars and restaurants are prepping for level 2 tomorrow, but the new Delta restrictions halving gathering numbers has all but taken the shine off for many establishments.
The hospitality sector says the new rules choking it and they are begging the government for help.
A gloomy, rainy day in Wellington matches the mood of the hospo sector, as everywhere but Auckland gets geared up to open their doors to customers tomorrow.
But not many customers. At this new-look level two, just 50 will be allowed inside at any one time - up to 100 can be at outdoor gatherings.
Paul Retimanu runs the cafe bar and and function centre at the Wharewaka on Wellington's waterfront, among other hospitality operations.
The latest lockdown has him nearly half a million dollars out of pocket.
"We've got 70, 80 staff - of those 40 are full time. Fifty percent are Māori, 8 percent are Pacifica, we pay the living wage and most of are over the living wage.
"We want to be deemed as good employers - we are good employers, we look after our people - can we hold on? I'm not sure."
Under level 2 earlier this year, 85 percent of the conference business postponed their gatherings.
"This time around when we went to from level 4 to level 3, we had 80 percent cancel ... so most of it's not coming back which is quite significant for us.
"So the conferencing business, I'm really concerned about that.
"Because the other part is that 50 percent of our commercial footprint here in Wellington buildings is government departments, so a lot of them are still going to be working from home."
There are other new Delta rules - staff must mask up at all times, and customers must sign in, though they won't be required to wear a mask where they eat and drink.
At the Rogue and Vagabond of Cuba Street in central Wellington, General Manager Lara Denby said staff would patiently explain the new rules to customers when they're seating and serving them.
"And you just have to hope that people are gonna follow that, and if they don't then you've got to chase them up.
"Just keep reminding people ... this is the thing about level 2 and hospitality is that, you know, we are we are the ones trying to maintain following those roles."
Rogue and Vagabond. Photo: RNZ / Harry Lock
Andy Jacques from The Good Home in the Christchurch suburb of Wigram said the phone was ringing hot for bookings after the alert level announcement yesterday.
He was putting a positive spin on the 50-person cap.
"We're not going to be anywhere near as busy as what we normally are, so I'm expecting that the service levels that people get when they come to The Good Home is going to be through the roof.
"Because sometimes in hospitality you just don't get the chance to go back to the table as often as you'd like."
But Hospitality New Zealand's Jeremy Smith said the new limit was brutal.
"It's [like] trying to fight with your hands tied behind your back because all we're going to do as an industry is go backwards.
"So yes, it's great we're moving towards level one hopefully, but we're in a scenario where we're going to keep on losing money - we've lost a fortune of money in lockdown."
He said most of the 22,000 hospitality business owners were under enormous stress, and he was begging the government for targeted help.
"Government please open the purse strings and save the sector because you only know what you've lost when it's no longer there and we can't afford to do that.
"There's too many staff and hard working business people dependent on their businesses to survive."
Denby from Rogue and Vagabond said there would be no live music until level 1 - but when it did come, it would be party time.
"Yeah, as soon as we hit level 1 that first day no matter what day of the week it is, I'm sure we will be having a gig."
Till then, living room dancing will have to do.
