Restaurant industry fury over booking cap in NSW restricting them to 20 diners

The restaurant industry is furious they will be restricted to only serving 20 diners at tables when the Sydney lockdowns end on Monday.

With more than 70 per cent of NSW residents aged 16 and over now fully vaccinated, Sydney’s four months of restrictions will be eased from October 11.

Residents across the state will be allowed to have 10 visitors to their home, with the cap not including children aged 12 and under.

But hospitality venues including restaurants and pubs will only be allowed to have 20 fully-vaccinated people inside if they aren’t getting takeaway food, even though they had often catered for hundreds of people at a time. 

Restaurant and Catering Australia chief executive Wes Lambert said the sector had a mixed reaction to new Premier Dominic Perrottet’s announcement about the easing of restrictions. 

‘After intense advocacy on behalf of NSW’s hospitality industry, Restaurant & Catering Australia has today welcomed some of the changes announced today by the NSW Government,’ he said. 

‘NSW hospitality industry has mixed reaction to today’s reopening announcement.’

Restaurants will be required to check the vaccination status of their customers, via a Medicare app, until early December, when 90 per cent of people are expected to be fully vaccinated.