Eat Out to Help Out serves up 64 million meals

Diners nationwide have been served over 64 million meals at discounted prices through the Eat Out to Help Out scheme launched to support the restaurant sector in August.

The scheme, which allows participating restaurants to offer a 50% discount of up to £10 per head, on food and non-alcoholic drinks to customers dining in on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays in August, closes on Monday 31st August, the Late Summer Bank Holiday.

Eat Out to Help Out has grown in popularity over time: 10.5 million meals were claimed in the first week of August, rising to 35 million in the second week. Participating restaurants in the Wilmslow, Macclesfield and Alderley Edge area can be found using the government’s restaurant finder website.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak (pictured) said:

Today’s figures continue to show that Brits are backing hospitality – with more than 64 million meals discounted so far, that’s equivalent to nearly every person in the country dining out to protect jobs.

“This scheme has reminded us how much we love to dine out, and in doing so, how this is helping to protect the jobs of nearly 2 million people who work in hospitality.

“I am urging everyone, where they can, to continue to safely enjoy a meal while the scheme remains open.”

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, cafés 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 according to figures from the Office of National Statistics.