With people turning away from dining in cafes and restaurants and some fast food chains closing the doors and only taking drive-thru orders it is a time of rapid change for many eateries.
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McDonald's franchisee Glenn Dwarte said the change has not yet been dramatic at his family's restaurants but his son James Dwarte did need to call in more staff at Warilla on Thursday morning when it was busier than usual.
"It is a little bit early to tell what the total impact is going to be at this stage," Mr Dwarte said.
"Warrawong and Warilla are holding their own but there is a swing to takeaway. We are taking about the same sales as we did last year but there is a growing percentage in drive-thru business and more people are placing take-away orders inside the restaurants rather than dining in".
Mr Dwarte said many businesses and people were still deciding what to do after the Prime Minister's announcement on Wednesday that no more than 100 people should gather inside at any location.
At the moment the Dwarte family who run four McDonald's restaurants in the Illawarra are taking each day as it comes.
Mr Dwarte said every day is throwing up something new as society tries to grapple with COVID-19 and what is the best thing to do to keep them and the family's safe.
He said there were no plans to close restaurants and leave drive-thrus open yet.
But with an unprecedented global pandemic nothing could be ruled out.
"We are in uncharted waters now aren't we? It is not a good position to be in but we are doing everything we can," he said
"No jobs are in jeopardy at this time. We actually called more crew in this morning because it was a little bit busier at Warilla today".
Glenn and Katia Dwarte have run the Warilla restaurant for 28 years and Mrs Dwarte worked at the first drive-thru in Australia at Warrawong as a teenager in the 1970's.
They and their sons James and John presently managed four McDonald's restaurants in the Illawarra including outlets at Stockland Shellharbour and Wollongong Central.
But none of them have ever seen anything like this and are concerned about the impact on all local businesses.
"I hope this is a once in a lifetime scenario. It is not good. We are just taking each day as it comes. Every day changes and we just want to do the best we can for the community".
The family run business has employed designated crews just to wipe down tables, chairs, benchtops and door handles with sanitiser to keep our restaurants clean. And all our crew wear gloves".
The Dwarte family are only two aware of how the timing of the coronavirus and measures to reduce its impact can affect so many things.
On Saturday John and Aleida Dwarte were married at Dalton House.
They had 250 guests but the wedding was able to go ahead because it was under 500 people in attendance.
Then on Wednesday the Prime Minister announced new measures that no more than 100 should gather indoors.
So if the wedding had been a week later they would have been faced with a difficult decision about whether to go ahead.
As it was the couple did need to change their travel plans.
They were planning a honeymoon in Phuket but at the last minute changed it to the Gold Coast where they are finding many things closed due to COVID-19.
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Greg Ellis
Almost four decades in electronic, print and digital media. A writer, presenter, emcee, photographer and videographer with degrees in business management, marketing and human resources and tertiary qualifications in photography.
Almost four decades in electronic, print and digital media. A writer, presenter, emcee, photographer and videographer with degrees in business management, marketing and human resources and tertiary qualifications in photography.
