THEIR stories are the same - hundreds of cancelled bookings, revenue down as much as 90 per cent, a struggle to offer staff shifts and ongoing worries about how their business will survive.
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And with little sign of trade improving, some hospitality businesses - an industry decimated by this recent COVID outbreak - have banded together to plea for government support.
More than a dozen traders from NSW's Hunter Valley have co-signed a letter to be presented to the state and federal governments which calls for immediate financial support, consistency in operating rules, and a roadmap to ensure they can be better prepared if there is another wave that hits trade.
Jackson Dunlap, who owns Saints Bar on King Street in Newcastle, has led the united front.
"I went round on a very quiet Saturday night talking to a bunch of bar owners and managers, and we just kind of said: 'this is f---ed, we need to do something about this'," he said. "My business is down 60 to 70 per cent, and I'm not the only one with those types of figures. It's very heartbreaking not being able to give the hours to my team that they need."
Mr Dunlap said the businesses were looking for "some level of financial support" to help cover expenses and pay staff. He said there also needed to be consistency in government-imposed operating rules, to ensure they weren't "flip-flopping".
"Every two weeks we seem to get new rules, it's hard to keep up," he said. "If we slip up on one rule that we haven't realised that has been put back in place, we can get penalised for it. Realistically, we need to have one set of rules that lasts and doesn't consistently change."
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Graham Seaton, of Meantime Bar and Kitchen, which opened at Hamilton in Newcastle in November, said he had 100 bookings cancelled before Christmas and "nothing has been the same since".
"We and our industry have not rebounded. We are facing costs that won't be recouped. Our venues are empty."
Mr Seaton said "the assistance we are talking about is just about getting us through". "It's literally about getting bills paid," he said.
Newcastle state MP Tim Crakanthorp wrote to the Treasurer in mid-December calling for business support, but he is yet to get a response and said the government had "failed to step up".
"Small businesses are hurting," he said. "They have been hit hard by restrictions and a drop in confidence. I renew my calls for urgent financial assistance and a support package."
NSW Treasury said in a statement the government was "closely monitoring the impacts of the current Omicron wave" and "consulting with business to determine what support is necessary to assist businesses dealing with the immediate impacts".
It cited the $2.8 billion COVID-19 Economic Recovery Strategy, announced in October, as "providing targeted and temporary support to the communities and sectors hit hardest by the COVID-19 outbreak".
It includes the small business fees and charges rebate, a rebate of up to $5,000 to create or upgrade outdoor dining areas, additional Dine & Discover vouchers, and a soon to be available $50 accommodation voucher.
"The NSW government has delivered more than $10 billion, inclusive of Commonwealth support, in direct COVID-19 support measures since the start of the Delta outbreak including the JobSaver payment, Business Grants and the Micro-business Grants," it said.
"This support was critical in providing cash flow support to businesses impacted by lockdowns across NSW."