Li Zhao, 19, enjoys watching the Bird's Nest through the window panes of the restaurant where he works as a waiter.

"Migrant workers are being cleared from Beijing for the Olympics? Not that I know of," said Li, from Xingtai in Beijing's neighboring Hebei Province, about 400 kilometers from Beijing.

Fuguilou Restaurant is about one kilometer from the National Stadium, known to many as the Bird's Nest for its latticework of interwoven steel, and the National Aquatics Centre, or Water Cube, the rectangular swimming venue, two centerpiece Olympic competition venues that sit side by side in northern Beijing.

When a dress rehearsal of the opening ceremony was held on Saturday night, Li stole a few minutes to join the crowds of bystanders on the street and enjoyed the fireworks.

"I hadn't expected to be so close to the Olympics," said Li.

Li said the Games had not brought much change to his own life, but the restaurant was certainly doing better business than before. "The place is always crowded with sightseers these days."

On Saturday night, when people flooded in the area to watch fireworks and listen to the resonance of the dress rehearsal, diners waited in long lines for seats.

Li and his colleagues are getting used to the business boom, and are expecting bigger crowds than ever after the Games open.

The restaurant has installed a big projection screen on its wall hoping its diners would heartily enjoy the Games at the dinner table. The Olympic business boom is also expected to offset some of its losses incurred when the restaurant had to move from its former location in the Huiyuan apartment complex, now an Olympic media village.