Lifestyle

Eat Out to Help Out is due to launch on August 3, giving diners across the UK 50 percent off their bill when they dine-in at participating restaurants. The scheme will take place every Monday to Wednesday, and gives you 50 percent discount on food or non-alcoholic drinks to eat or drink in, up to a maximum of £10 discount per diner.

This means that everyone in Britain is entitled to discounts at restaurants over a total period of 13 days next month.

Announcing the scheme, Chancellor Rishi Sunak said: “I know people are cautious about going out.

“But we wouldn’t have lifted the restrictions if we didn’t think we could do so, safely.

“Each week in August, businesses can then claim the money back, with the funds in their bank account within five working days.”

The scheme starts on Monday, August 3 and runs until Monday, August 31.

All you have to do is turn up, eat, and pay for the remainder of the bill.

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How do I find out which restaurants are participating?

You can find out which restaurants are taking part on the Government website.

All you need to do is put in your postcode, and it will tell you all the restaurants within a two-mile radius that are taking part in the scheme.

Large chains taking part in the scheme include Pizza Express, Wagamama, Prezzo, Pizza Hut, Nando’s and Starbucks.

There’s no minimum spend required to get the discount and there’s no limit on the number of times you can use it each day.

Hospitality is one of the biggest employers in the UK and has been hit especially hard by the crisis and lockdown measures.

In April 80 percent of venues closed, and some 1.4 million hospitality workers have been placed on furlough, the highest proportion of any sector in the UK.

Some venues have been able to provide a takeaway service during lockdown.

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But this often means lower average spending per head and fewer people employed, and it is simply not an option for some businesses.

Appetite for the scheme has been mixed – with many people still apprehensive about the return to normal life following the coronavirus lockdown.

A recent survey suggested that many across the UK felt uncomfortable about eating at a restaurant.

The Office for National Statistics said just more than two-in-10 adults were happy to have a sit-down meal.

The scheme is being used alongside other targeted measures such as a cut in VAT for hospitality and tourism businesses.

The scheme – like other measures – is always kept under review, and so could be extended beyond the end of next month, although there are no plans for this at present.

Restaurants, pubs and other parts of the hospitality sector were allowed to reopen from July 4.

While many ventured back out after lockdown, some have still been understandably reluctant due to coronavirus still spreading throughout the UK.

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