COCOA, Fla. — Despite crowd restrictions put in place to stem the coronavirus pandemic, Central Florida businesses welcomed the large crowds that turned out to see Wednesday's crewed SpaceX launch.

Old Florida Grill & Oyster House co-owner Kim Barlowe says she missed seeing people enjoying a weekend afternoon. 

"It's great seeing people come out to support us and then having the launch take place," Barlowe said. "It's been great seeing people come here from all over Florida."

She said the restaurant — a small tiki bar and restaurant right on the water with a good view of the launch — was filled to capacity according to the state's Phase 1 reopening guidelines.

Barlowe said with every scrubbed launch, it's an opportunity to get things back to normal since the pandemic hit during their busy season.

“If it does get scrubbed, then we can see a can see a large crowd tomorrow which, truthfully, after the pandemic, we are looking forward to it," she said. "It's boosting the economy all over the coast."

Old Florida Grill & Oyster House management said they did apply and qualified for a couple of loans to keep afloat during the pandemic. 

Dax Gingras and his family traveled from Lakeland to witness history. He said they would have done so no matter how many tries it would have taken.

"We are here for the launch, and we wanted to get here with enough time to get a good spot since this is the place to be," he said. "I was here for the last shuttle launch but my family has never seen one."