When new coronavirus restrictions saw his hospitality recruitment business dry up, Chris Hansen came up with a plan to accommodate Canberra's demand for restaurant quality food.

His hunch? Everyone may be stuck indoors, but that doesn't mean they want to cook for themselves on a Friday night.

While the restrictions have been a blow for the industry, many restaurateurs are moving towards online and delivery systems which they hope will make up for lost income in the weeks to come.

It's just one of the many adjustments thousands of businesses have had to make as a result of the pandemic.

'There's a pretty big market here'

Mr Hansen's project, Canberra Eats, is a local delivery service aimed at keeping money in the Canberra community.

"I was just sitting down reading the paper and I realised there is a pretty big market here for a Canberra-based delivery service," he said.

Chris Hansen has created a local food delivery website since losing his hospitality recruitment business amid the coronavirus pandemic. ( ABC News: David Sciasci )

Customers can order in advance and select a delivery time that works for them, which means businesses aren't inundated with orders all at once.

"This allows the restaurant to plan their night and really, it's a supplementary product — we're not trying to take away from any restaurants and take-away businesses," Mr Hansen said, noting that drivers also provided contactless delivery.

"It's just offering an extra service where people can have the food delivered if they're not able to leave the house, or if they would prefer not to leave the house at this challenging time."

In building the business from scratch, Mr Hansen said he had hardly stopped — the website is set to go live on Monday.

"We're looking to open with 12 restaurants and there's a very good chance that will double or even triple in the next couple of weeks," he said, citing Agostinis and Temporada as early adopters.

Iconic pub optimistic as community support floods in

Richard Cockram is the general manager of the Old Canberra Inn, which is closed to patrons but delivering beer and food to keep their staff employed. ( ABC News: Ross Nerdal )

Another early adopter is one of Canberra's best known pubs, the Old Canberra Inn.

Until recently, the Lyneham-based venue was a reliable source of pub food and beer.

Businesses are rethinking the way they bring food to the masses. ( Louis Hansel: Unsplash )

The Inn's manager Richard Cockram said that, as a pub that did not do takeaway or delivery, they were faced with a significant challenge when the restrictions were imposed.

"Prior to the whole COVID-19 thing, we were a very busy pub," Mr Cockram said.

"It was all in-house. We didn't do any take-aways, deliveries or anything like that.

"So, obviously with the lockdown we've had to adapt pretty quickly to still be able to provide people with our food and our beverage offering as well."

Mr Cockram said they started off simply, taking phone orders to deliver beer, before moving to Mr Hansen's Canberra Eats.

"It's going to be a bit tricky because it's something we've never really done before," he said.

"But, this time with the lockdowns, it's all about adaptation to try and keep our business alive and keep our employees in."

Keeping staff at the centre

Indeed, keeping people employed was one of Mr Hansen's central motivations behind establishing Canberra Eats.

He said those most impacted by the coronavirus shutdown were being preferenced, and workers were getting shifts they would otherwise have lost entirely.

"I do know a lot of people in the industry, so I'm giving preference to anyone who has lost their job in the hospitality industry," he said.

With the knowledge that even more restrictions could be put in place in the weeks to come, Mr Hansen said he knew it was a risky undertaking.

"We don't know if the government is going to close down take-away or deliveries next week, or the week after, or in two-months, but I know the landscape has probably changed for good," he said.

But Mr Cockram said the venture made him and his staff optimistic for the future.

"There has already been a really great response from our regulars and other people reaching out to try and help us. It really does make a massive difference," he said.

"At the moment, we're tying to keep on as many staff as we can and obviously with the community supporting us and making orders, we've been able to hold onto some of our staff.

"And then, hopefully if we can maintain the business and bring back more staff."