Despite the uncertainty of when hospitality will be able to reopen, many Auckland restaurants report being inundated with customer bookings.
Michael Dearth, the owner of Baduzzi and The Grove, said people want to get out of their house, eat out, and celebrate.
He was receiving calls for both corporate and private function bookings in the lead-up to Christmas.
Many people were celebrating significant anniversaries or birthdays that they had missed during the lockdown, he added.
The hospitality industry remains exasperated by the lack of certainty around Auckland's shift to the traffic light system, but the new vaccine passport is being rolled out, and the Government is expected to reveal when Auckland's borders will open today.
The Grove
However, it's still unclear when hospitality venues can reopen under restricted conditions.
Restaurant Association chief executive Marisa Bidois said Aucklanders were booking up their favourite hospo spots in the hopes of making the most of the festive season.
She said businesses are desperate to make the most of what's left of this busy season and have accepted bookings in advance in the hopes they will be able to open their doors.
December is anticipated to be very busy, so businesses and guests alike are planning ahead.
Auckland businesses have a very short window of time to make up for the last three months, said Bidois, and want to maximise any interest from diners while they can.
While the industry anxiously awaits the go-ahead to open, the opportunity to do some solid trading in December will help ease the burden of the last 13 weeks, said Bidois.
