They are preparing for their busiest night of the year at the Taste of Shunde restaurant, Hurstville.
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Lunar New Year is a time of family reunions and new beginnings.
"The meaning of Chinese New Year is to farewell the bad and welcome the new and good fortune," Taste of Shunde owner Sam Luo said.
"This is the peak time for Chinese culture and to have a family reunion."
For Lunar New Year tonight the Taste of Shunde has bookings for 1,600 people over two sittings.
This will be supported by 14 chefs and 40 staff.
The restaurant is named in honour of the Chinese city of Shunde which is the cradle of Cantonese cuisine.
"This particular restaurant not long ago was crowned as the overseas face of Shunde cuisine," Georges River Councillor Ben Wang said.
"They have a special culture combining the traditional Shunde cuisine with Australian produce, especially seafood including fish and lobster."
The Taste of Shunde is part of the World Gastronomy Cities Alliance and home of the Shunde Cuisine Research and Development Base.
"There are eight cuisines in China and Cantonese would be the most popular," Councillor Wang said.
"They put emphasis on the food itself so they don't add a lot of spices. It's not rich but it's tasty.
"They have a rich spectrum of produce - birds, seafood, plants and with an emphasis on colourful presentation."
On Chinese New Year the most important dish is fish, normally served steamed and with its head and tail in place, signifying a good beginning and end.
"In the Chinese language fish means surplus so every year they have the New Year's Eve fish dish to signify surplus," Cr Wang said.
"It's important when eating fish that you don't touch the head or the tail as this signifies beginnings and endings."
The Taste of Shunde restaurant is one of the top Cantonese restaurants in Sydney and the largest restaurant in Hurstville.
It has three levels and includes several private dining rooms, and entertainment including karaoke. It is popular for weddings, birthdays and family gatherings. It even has its own children's playground.
In keeping with its role as a community gathering place it will soon be the venue of a photographic exhibition presented by the Georges River Association with the support of Georges River Council.
"The exhibition will showcase the beauty of humanity and scenery," Cr Wang said.
Apart from running three restaurants, Mr Luo is a Master of Kung Fu in the Yong Chun discipline and is president of the Bruce Lee World Dragon Fans Club Australia.
He also presents talks on radio twice a week on Chinese cuisine, Kung Fu and culture.
Mr Luo opened up his three restaurants during COVID - one at Kogarah in 2019, one at Eastwood in 2020 and the one at Hurstville in 2022.
His confidence in the Cantonese cuisine was why he went ahead and opened during COVID.
Mr Luo said that after COVID there are more people coming in to his restaurants.
"Business is getting better. We are happy for families and the community to come out and celebrate New Year.
"The Year of the Dragon brings good fortune," he said.
"The hard times are over."
