Moeraki restaurant Fleur's Place is world famous, just not so much in Delta level 2.
Fleur Sullivan of Fleur's Place in Moeraki. Photo: RNZ
Fleur's Place owner Fleur Sullivan has chosen not to reopen until the South Island moves to alert level 1.
Tighter restrictions under Delta 2 mean only 50 people can be seated inside and they must be socially distanced.
"It doesn't really work for us because we're a small restaurant in the middle of nowhere more or less, we're off the stage highway, but we're in the village," Sullivan told Checkpoint.
"We're a destination rather than someone thinking 'I will pop in and get something to eat'. We're off the beaten track, so people come with the express purpose of coming to Moeraki to eat at Fleur's."
She said no overseas tourists meant the restaurant was half as busy.
"Because we've been open 18 years, we're on a lot of people's bucket lists ... we get recommended from England ... [restaurateur] Rick Stein's trip didn't do us any harm, Gwyneth Paltrow's trip didn't do us any harm.
"We've been marketed all over the world, we're really lucky and we like to everyday do a good job."
She said service in alert level 2 was different.
"We could probably do, with social distancing, 14 people for the night."
She said all staff lived in Moeraki, had warm accommodation and food, and the business was getting the government's wage subsidy.
"I'm not asking for anything, and I'm not growling about our position, but you've just got to face reality. Count your blessings and look out at the rest of the world. We're an island and we should be protecting each other."