It's estimated €50 million will be spent in the hospitality sector this weekend.
Restaurants, cafes and gastro pubs can fully reopen today as Level 5 restrictions continue to be eased.
Indoor dining will be allowed with extra measures, and only pubs with a kitchen on-site can welcome back customers.
People are being advised to pre-book a table for a meal.
Meanwhile, NPHET fear the reproduction number of Covid-19 could climb to 1.4 over the coming weeks.
It would mean case numbers could be back up to 600 per day by the second week in January.
Public Health Officials believe the 'R' number is now close to 1, with people urged to limit their contacts as much as possible over the festive season.
