Craft Bar and Kitchen owner John MacDonald believed the protesters should obey the same rules as other users of the Octagon and if they did not they should be moved on.
There was uncertainty about the protest growing and staying longer, which added to the problems faced by businesses operating under the Red setting, he said.
He feared sanitation and behavioural issues.
Nova cafe co-owner Mark Fraser said having protesters there did not make an ideal dining experience, calling the protest "another thing" adding to frustrations as he tried to trade and keep staff employed.
"I imagine we’d all love to have the time to sit in the Octagon all day every day," he said.
The Craic owner, Claire Grenfell, said she thought the protest was not a particularly good look and was probably keeping people away, as people had come to associate anti-mandate protesters with poor behaviour.
Another cafe owner in the area said her landlords had put in more security measures, but otherwise everyone had been ignoring the protesters.
Fire crews were called to the protest several times to extinguish brazier fires on Tuesday morning.
A Dunedin City Council spokesman said sprinklers in the area had been turned off and staff had visited protesters to discuss the council’s requirements to mow the grass and maintain the gardens.
If any issues arose it would be a matter for the emergency services, they said.
A police spokeswoman said it had not received any reports of disorder related to the protest.
The organiser of the Octagon protest, who gave her name as Nora the Explorer, said the protest would last until vaccine mandates were removed.
She said a portable toilet provision had been arranged.
They had received no complaints from business owners and their interactions with police, Fire and Safety New Zealand and council staff had been positive, but some passers-by had been abusive, she said.
