From Monday, May 18, cafés and restaurants in Western Australia will be able to offer dine-in meals for up to 20 patrons at a time while meeting social distancing requirements of one person per four square metres.
In the south-west of the state, Margaret River main street restaurant and bar Morries has undergone a transformation of offerings along with many of the region's dining establishments, as they push to adapt to ever-changing social distancing rules.
"Takeaway was tough at first, we had never done it before and turning a tapas restaurant into a takeaway service meant a lot of our dishes had to be adapted in some way," Morries owner Dave Astbury said.
"We have a much smaller team now and we have ran takeaway for a few weeks with only a team of three.
"There is a greater sense of camaraderie and pulling together to bring Morries through.
The business was already feeling the impact of major roadworks on its doorstep and locals have been vocal in their support of the new direction, sharing photos and praise for the dinners on social media platforms.
Mr Astbury said he planned to keep the takeaway offerings but would cease delivery to focus on opening the doors to the venue itself.
"Takeaway will continue as much as possible but the delivery service will be discontinued as our priority now will be bringing the Morries bar back to life for the community," he said.
Under the state government's roadmap to carefully ease coronavirus restrictions, community facilities, libraries and public pools will also be able to re-open while non-contact community sports and outdoor and indoor fitness classes will be allowed - all subject to conditions.
All businesses, venues and facilities must prepare a COVID Safety Plan to re-open and will need to ensure it is available for inspection by authorised officers.
Businesses must display a poster in a prominent area signifying that they have prepared a plan and they will be encouraged to review their plan regularly and update or amend it as required.
In nearby Gnarabup, the owner of The Common Bar + Bistro said the shutdown forced a drastic re-evaluation of the entire business.
"When this all happened I almost closed the doors as I was thinking it was all too hard," Mr Breen said. "Alex Brooks from the White Elephant gave me a pretty good pep talk, told me to get on the tools and save my business and that is what I did.
"I haven't looked back from that day forward and it's been pretty fun working with a small group of dedicated staff and just rolling with the punches.
"There were quite a few nights were we got much busier than we had expected and got absolutely smashed in that kitchen, I almost quit and then I realised that I couldn't," Mr Breen joked.
"I saw everyone else doing different 'heat and eat' meals and healthy options and I decided to stick with what we already do but take it to the next level.
"My head chef has lung issues so she was happy to stay at home and not risk coming to work, and my sous chef had just had a baby, which basically put me in complete charge of the kitchen for the first time- ordering, prepping, designing the menu and service.
"I couldn't stop putting different food on the menu and at times it was quite large which could make it pretty hard during service!"
In Mandurah just south of Perth, many pub owners have chosen to bide their time before opening their doors.
Tough requirements for those looking to reopen will see several of the area's hotspots waiting until further easing of restrictions to return to business as usual.
For many local pubs, it simply won't be feasible to unlock their doors.
"We're definitely going to wait a little longer," Ravenswood Hotel owner Jenny Taylor said.
"We're assuming and hoping that in three or four weeks we are allowed to have up to 100 patrons, which would make opening viable for us.
"Right now, if we opened and let 20 people through the door, it wouldn't be enough to pay the wages of the people working those days."
Ms Taylor's sentiments were shared by The Bridge Garden Bar owner Jason Hutchen, who said his establishment would also wait for the further relaxing of restrictions before opening again.
"The Bridge won't be open - 20 people just won't cut it," he said.
"You wouldn't have a problem getting 20 people through the door, but then you would need kitchen workers, table service, cleaners, it just wouldn't make sense.
"In the end we're just going to have to continue riding this wave and hope WA can continue leading the way."
All hospitality businesses statewide would also be required to have a COVID safety plan before reopening, which would display their venue's capacity under social distancing reform to patrons upon entering.
Staff will also be required to undergo COVID safety training.
WA small business minister Paul Papalia described the easing of restrictions as a "big step" forward for the state.
"The government understands that it is not as far as some people would like," he told reporters at a press conference on Monday afternoon.
"But it is a first step and we're on the pathway to a freer environment providing we protect what we have achieved to date."
Mandurah mayor Rhys Williams said the City was encouraging residents to support the local hospitality businesses that chose to reopen their doors while still adhering to social distancing protocol.
"I would expect to see some businesses remain open and some closed but I think local businesses will have to make that assessment based on their own circumstances," he said.
"The City is focused on encouraging people to hang out in public spaces while the weather is still nice and the sun is still shining and we're seeing how we can help businesses do a trade with takeaway as well as have more activation of our public spaces."
Being able to open to a small number of patrons adds yet another dimension for Tony Breen at The Common, which is a hotspot for surfers from around the world during the now-postponed WSL Margaret River Pro competition.
"It's actually pretty exciting to have this blank canvas on which to almost rebrand yourself again, it's a silver lining and something that most businesses don't get the opportunity to do, so it's really important that we nail this next stage in our food," he said.
"I think the key to success right now is creativity and humour. We've been doing some tongue and cheek cooking videos and plan on continuing them as we come out of this black hole.
"I'm truly humbled by each and every one of you who have ordered from us, then called us to tell us how much you loved it, or gave us a shout out on Facebook.
"I don't know how many times we are going to have to re-invent ourselves- but we're going to do it as many times as it takes!"