Bitten off too much? Firms ditch Rishi’s deal over abuse from diners
HUNDREDS of restaurants have ditched the Eat Out to Help Out deal because rude diners are abusing staff.
Around 700 businesses have told the Government they want to withdraw from the scheme. The true number is likely to be higher because restaurateurs don’t need to give notice if they are pulling out.
Some 35million meals have so far been sold under the scheme devised by Chancellor Rishi Sunak to breathe life into the hospitality sector.
The Monday to Wednesday offer gives a 50 per cent discount, capped at £10 per person, and has cost taxpayers £180million so far. The final bill could hit half a billion pounds.
The Heron Inn near Truro, Cornwall, has abandoned the scheme citing ‘unpleasant’ and ‘unwelcome behaviour’ from some customers. A message on its Facebook page reads: ‘Safety is our main priority, and with the increased amount of people visiting us, it is making it difficult for us to manage with social distancing rules in place.
‘We have received unpleasant comments and general unwelcome behaviour from customers when they are unable to find a table due to us having reached capacity.’ The Westleigh Inn, near Bideford in Devon, has pulled out citing ‘physical and mental stress’ caused to staff.
Kelly Hill, of the Tavern Inn, Newquay, said: ‘It has brought us nothing but negativity due to the huge demand, causing long waits on food, tables over-running and hostility towards our staff. People are ordering big, big meals. They are not willing to wait. Our staff are being shouted at for having no tables, or for the service being slow.’
Owners of the Paddock Inn, in Penally, Wales, complained of the ‘extreme levels of rudeness, lack of understanding, and complete impatience of some customers’.