Eat Out to Help Out scheme officially opens for business

Diners across Wales will see their restaurant bills slashed by as much as 50% from today as the UK governments Eat Out to Help Out scheme officially opens for business (Monday 3 August).

Anyone visiting a participating restaurant, café or pub on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays throughout August will receive the half price discount – keeping more money in hardworking families’ pockets and giving a vital boost to the UK’s hospitality sector.

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. It could save a family of four up to £40 per meal.

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.

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 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. The industry is a vital ingredient to our economy and it’s been hit hard by coronavirus, so enjoy summer safely by showing your favourite places your support – we’ll pay half.”

We’ve found a handy map which is bang up to date with all the businesses in the UK taking part in the scheme.

You can also find a list of restaurants here which you can filter by postcode.

There is also an A-Z list of all the large chain businesses taking part in the scheme which may not be on the map: www.deeside.com/a-z-list

And for those interested in how the map was made, here’s a great blog post from the developer –  https://beny23.github.io/posts/discounted_dining_finder/