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The lead-up last Thursday to Melbourne’s fifth lockdown had a familiar feel for Barb Dight, co-owner of St Kilda restaurant Cicciolina, and her staff.

“There’s no official notice, we just watch the news like everybody else,” she said.

“We just have to weather it”: Barb Dight, co-owner of Cicciolina in St Kilda.Credit:Chris Hopkins

“We’re pretty used to the routine now — it’s like during a war, you tune into the tele at a certain time, and Gladys gives her presser and Dan gives his.

“We’re all over it now. We’re pretty good at it.”

Ms Dight said the Acland Street eatery had recently been doing fantastic business. Instead of going away for winter, clients had spent money locally.

But daily revenue since lockdown began on Friday – from selling only takeaways – was down about 95 per cent on normal trade.

Other proprietors told similar stories.

Ms Dight said there was just enough cash flow to pay rent and utilities but in this lockdown there was no rent relief, nor JobKeeper for employees.

However, staff had enough notice to adjust daily orders of seafood, vegetables and meat so they did not have to throw out stock. And she said workers were in “a better headspace” compared to previous lockdowns, perhaps due to more Australians this time also being in lockdown.

Yianni Poupouzas, whose family owns two Nikos cake and restaurant venues in Oakleigh and Fairfield, said they were taking only 5 to 10 per cent of normal revenue since reverting to takeaway only.

Before this lockdown, business had returned to about 80 per cent of normal levels “and now we’re back to square one”. The hardest part was having to stand down about 100 of Nikos’ 120 staff.

About 50 custom cake orders costing about $300 to $1500 each had to be cancelled due to events such as weddings being called off.

Michael Bascetta, co-owner of Falco Bakery in Collingwood, said locked-down locals were flocking to the outlet, with revenue up 10 per cent on Sunday compared with the week before.

Some people were adding pastries or wine to their usual orders of bread and coffee.

However, Bar Liberty wine bar in Fitzroy, which Mr Bascetta also co-owns under the Made Well Group, is closed for the five-day lockdown.

The group’s Italian restaurant, Capitano in Rathdowne Street, Carlton, is open for night takeaway but Mr Bascetta said revenue on Sunday was expected to be down 80 per cent compared with the previous Sunday.

While he realised that in health terms the lockdown was “necessary for where we’re at”, he said there was “a general frustration that many people are voicing at the slowness of the vaccine rollout”.

Mr Poupouzas from Nikos said leaders needed to create a better plan than lockdowns, to give businesses more certainty and to preserve people’s wellbeing.

Ms Dight from Cicciolina said she supported the lockdown – several of her staff had relatives who died of COVID-19. “Financially, we just have to weather it,” she said. “I don’t really want to but we have to. But I don’t see any alternative if the government are going for zero community transmissions.”

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