147,000 Eat Out to Help Out meals claimed in Exeter
147,000 meals were claimed in Exeter under the Government’s Eat Out to Help Out Scheme, saving diners a total of £662,000 in discount.
The scheme, which ran every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 3 August to 31 August, saved diners an average of £4.51 at 133 participating restaurants in Exeter. A total of around 84,700 restaurants signed up across the UK according to government statistics.
The 147,000 meals claimed in Exeter make up only a portion of the 1.7 million claimed in the whole of Devon.
The scheme saved diners an average of £4.51 at 133 participating restaurants in Exeter.
Eat Out to Help Out was launched by the government to support the hospitality sector amid the COVID-19 pandemic by offering a 50 per cent discount on food or non-alcoholic drinks to eat or drink in, up to a maximum of £10 discount per diner.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak said that the figures proved the scheme had been “a success.”
He added: “From the get-go our mission has been to protect jobs, and to do this we needed to be creative, brave and try things that no government has ever done before. […] I want to thank everyone, from restaurant owners to waiters, chefs and diners, for embracing it and helping drive our economic recovery.”
From the get-go our mission has been to protect jobs, and to do this we needed to be creative, brave and try things that no government has ever done before.
Data from booking site OpenTable also demonstrated the scheme’s success in encouraging diners back to restaurants, with reservations up by 53 per cent on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays compared to August 2019.
Chief executive of Barclays Bank, Jes Staley, said their own spending data showed the scheme had given a “real boost” to the hospitality industry.
“Consumer feedback was also very encouraging, with almost one in five planning to continue dining out more often… and a similar number saying that they will return to restaurants that they would not have visited otherwise.”
