Local MP Alex Burghart has welcomed the Eat Out To Help Out Scheme, which will give people in Brentwood and Ongar up to 50 per cent off their bills in restaurants, cafes and pubs on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays throughout August.
The scheme – part of the government’s Plan for Jobs that will spur the country’s economic recovery from coronavirus – applies to all food and non-alcoholic drinks, with a maximum discount per person of £10.
In the East of England, there are 3967 participating independent establishments, and outlets from smaller chains (those with 25 restaurants or fewer). You can find your local restaurant that’s registered for the scheme here
The scheme will help give the UK’s hospitality sector a vital boost with more than 72,000 establishments are participating in total, including independent cafes, pubs, restaurants and garden centres, and family favourites such as Pizza Express, Costa Coffee and Nando’s.
Commenting, Alex said:
“The Eat Out To Help Out scheme is a great way to boost local businesses and protect jobs across our hospitality sector, which has been hard hit by coronavirus. I’m pleased to see so many of my favourite local cafes, pubs and restaurants have signed up for the scheme, and I urge as many Brentwood and Ongar people as possible to go out and support their local restaurant.”
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak said:
“Our Eat Out to Help Out scheme’s number one aim is to help protect the jobs of 1.8 million chefs, waiters pub owners and restaurateurs by boosting demand and getting customers through the door. More than 72,000 establishments will be serving discounted meals across the country, with the government paying half the bill.”
Also included in the Government’s £30 billion Plan for Jobs:
- A temporary cut in VAT for the tourism and hospitality sectors.
- A Job Retention Bonus to encourage employers to retain staff who have been on the furlough scheme, with the Government paying a one-off bonus of £1,000 for every employee who was furloughed and who is kept on until 31 January.
- The temporary removal of stamp duty on all homes under £500,000 until the end of March 2021, to catalyse the housing market.
- A new Kickstart Scheme, which will create hundreds of thousands of new, fully-subsidised jobs for young people.
ENDS
For more information please contact Alex at [email protected]
Notes to Editors
- This week, we are launching a new Eat Out to Help Out scheme – something that has never been done in this country ever before – giving people up to 50 per cent off meals out, encouraging them back into restaurants, cafes and pubs. Anyone who eats at a participating business, Monday to Wednesday for the month of August, can receive up to 50 per cent off food and non-alcoholic drinks, up to a value of £10 per person. Businesses can claim the money back from the government weekly, receiving funds within 5 working days. Guidance for businesses will be published next week (HMT, News story, 3 August 2020, link).
- This will protect jobs and support the hospitality industry, which has been hardest hit by coronavirus. Around 80 per cent of hospitality firms stopped trading in April, with 1.4 million workers furloughed, the highest of any sector. The scheme will 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 (HMT, News story, 3 August 2020, link).
- More than 72,000 establishments are participating, including independent eateries and family favourites such as Pizza Express, Costa Coffee and Nando’s. There have already been over 3.3 million hits on the Eat Out to Help Out restaurant finder since it launched last week, which shows what businesses are participating in local areas, and many restaurants have since seen a boost in bookings. Apps like Opentable, Fork and Bookatable are all planning pages to support the scheme (HMT, News story, 3 August 2020).
