Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Public appetite returns Eating out discount scheme proves winner for restaurants
RESTAURANTS have reported booming business as a result of the government’s discount scheme.
The Eat Out to Help Out initiative, launched at the start of the month, allows eateries to offer meals at 50% off on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, with the UK Government picking up the other half of the bill.
The scheme has proved popular with both customers and restaurants, with one businesswoman describing it as “brilliant” and much-needed after months of uncertainty due to the lockdown.
Lauren Runciman, owner of the Giddy Goose on Perth Road, said: “It’s been absolutely amazing. There are huge numbers of bookings coming in throughout the week.
“We were already quite busy when we reopened from lockdown but we still had a massive boom in business because of this.”
Lauren believes the scheme has also been beneficial in encouraging people to get back out to try to pick up where they left off before the pandemic.
She added: “People seem a little bit more relaxed, I think it’s good for them to get back to normal, or at least some form of normality.”
While the scheme has led to a boom in business in the first half of the week, weekends have still to return to pre-pandemic levels.
Lauren added: “I think a lot of people are waiting now to come out at the start of the week to save money, which I understand – I’d be doing the same thing.”
Ross Turriff, owner of Jessie’s Kitchen in Broughty Ferry, said the scheme has “certainly helped out”.
He added: “From our point of view last week would have been busy anyway, with it being the last week before schools go back, so with the Eat Out to Help Out scheme it was extremely busy.
“The response has been amazing – we were full on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.”