Eat Out to Help Out – what’s it all about? 10 August 2020

You’ll hear Eat Out to Help Out a lot during August, as the government’s scheme does its best to tempt us to dine out to help support the struggling food and hospitality sector.

Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, commented that the scheme is intended to get customers back into restaurants, cafes and pubs, and protect the 1.8 million people who work in them

Here’s a quick guide to how it works and how it’s meant to help the economy.

How it works:

  • Find a participating venue – they’re easy to spot thanks to the posters
  • Eat out at any time on any Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday during August – if you fancy it, you could have breakfast, lunch and dinner out every day
  • Get 50% off your bill, up to a £10 limit – you’ll get the biggest saving if your bill comes to £20
  • Soft drinks are included, but not alcohol – sorry, we hate to be the bearer of bad news
  • You need to dine in, the scheme doesn’t include takeaways – we know the whole ‘eat out’ thing has caused some confusion for some people, but the government meant eat out away from home, not get a take out 
  • Your discount will be automatically applied to your bill – no codes, coupons, screengrabs – this really couldn’t be simpler
  • There’s no limit to the number in your party – just remember social distancing!
  • If the venue’s happy to, the scheme can be used in conjunction with other offers – win win!

How it’s meant to help:

In a super-simplified nutshell, when you eat out you’re spending money which is much needed by the restaurant, café, bar or pub you’re dining in. This gives them money to spend on staff and suppliers. The suppliers then have money to spend on whatever suppliers spend money on. Same goes for the staff. And so the money circulates.

The scheme, nicknamed ‘Rishi’s dishes’, has been created to help the economy by encouraging people, who may be reluctant to eat out in the wake of the covid-19-lockdown, to eat out sooner rather than later, helping to kick-start the economy while reminding them what they enjoyed about dining out.   

It applies only on a Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday as these are the quietest days. By getting money moving, the economy as a whole is encouraged to get moving again.

Who’s taking part?

You can visit the government’s website to find out which restaurants are participating nationally. Locally, here’s a list of many of our fabulous independents:

Amongst many others – please do let us know if there’s a great eatery missing from the list or our website.

And don’t forget when paying by Contactless, if you’ve enjoyed your meal and dining experience, a tip is always welcomed by the people who helped make it happen (we mean the staff, not Rishi Sunak!)

If you’d like to find out more, these were helpful resources when compiling this article:

Newbury Today, Which?, Financial Times, The Sun, Government website

Poster with Woman. Poster with Man.