On Monday 31st August, Chancellor Rishi Sunak expressed his gratitude to all the diners who had joined the government’s initiative in reviving the restaurants through the landmark Eat Out to Help Out scheme. The scheme, part of the Chancellor’s Plan for Jobs, has boosted demand to protect jobs for hospitality with over 64 million meals claimed for so far.
Rishi Sunak said, “As the Eat Out to Help Out scheme draws to a close, I want to say thank you to the diners who have fallen back in love with their local, to the managers who have spent weeks ensuring their restaurants were safe and to the chefs, waiters and waitresses across the country who have worked tirelessly, sometimes with more customers than they’ve ever had before – all helping to protect 1.8 million jobs in the hospitality sector.
“The scheme reminded us why we as a nation love dining out and I urge diners to maintain the momentum to help continue our economic recovery.”
Polls suggest half the population are planning to continue eating out to help out in September, as dozens of restaurant chains also pledged to launch their own versions of the scheme. Figures from YouGov show that 50% of people who used the scheme intend to dine out the same amount or more often once it comes to an end.
Data from OpenTable shows that for the fourth week of the scheme, seated diners were up 106% on Tuesday 25 August compared to the equivalent day in 2019, and the average increase Monday - Wednesday was up 95% compared to 2019 equivalent days.
The Eat Out to Help Out scheme aims to help protect the jobs of the hospitality industry’s 1.8 million employees by encouraging people to safely return to their local restaurants, cafes and pubs where social-distancing rules allow.
Around 80% of hospitality firms stopped trading in April, with 1.4 million workers furloughed, the highest of any sector.
The industry has worked innovatively to become Covid-secure, putting in place a variety of measures including protective screens, contactless payments, social distancing, one-way walking systems, online bookings and reduced capacity.
The scheme is one part of the Chancellor’s Plan for Jobs, announced last month to help spur the UK’s economic recovery. Other measures announced to protect, support and create jobs include cutting VAT for tourism and hospitality by 15%, a £2 billion Kickstart Scheme and an £8.8 billion investment in new infrastructure, decarbonisation and maintenance projects.
There is no data quantifying the number of Indian or Asian restaurants that have participated in this scheme. But a lot of them are continuing with this scheme even as it has officially come to an end. Some of these restaurants include Tharavadu in Leeds, Asha’s in Birmingham, Indian street food restaurant Cargo in Bristol, Hawkyns by Atul Kochhar in Buckinghamshire, Benares in Mayfair which will be extending the deal they currently offer as part of 'Eat Out To Help Out' until October 14.
