DID EATING OUT HELP OUT A LOT?
THE Eat Out to Help Out scheme was billed as a much-needed shot in the arm of the UK economy which had lost millions since the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020.
UK Government Chancellor Rishi Sunak said at the time: “This moment is unique. We need to be creative.”
We’ve looked back on the scheme 12 months later and spoken to businesses about how they feel.
Allan Rohman, manager at the Brunswick Arms pub in Swansea, said while the scheme undoubtedly helped the business out, he felt the way some restaurants ran it could have led to the virus spreading more quickly.
“I’d be lying if I said it didn’t benefit [us] – it did – but possibly in hindsight, it could have had the adverse effect where there were certain establishments, without naming any, ramming people in, so social distancing went out the window.”
Allan said the pub was “busier the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday” when the scheme was running, but that it “definitely” noticed a drop-off on Fridays and Saturdays.
There is no doubt that offering 50% discounts in restaurants brought people out in their droves. But it can also be argued that after spending five months cooped up indoors, people were going to go to pubs and restaurants again when they reopened anyway.
The eye-watering costs of the scheme have also been questioned. After Eat Out to Help Out concluded, it was revealed that it had cost the government a whopping £522m thanks to so many businesses having claimed. More recent estimates have been even higher.
“We had a bit of hassle with it,” said Paul Cinderey, who runs the Paddick Inn pub in Tenby, one of Wales’ most popular holiday spots.
He said the pub noticed an uptick in difficult customers on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays after the scheme began.
“We were really busy with it, it was a bit of a boost. But we had a bit of hassle with it as well.”
Opinions from traders and scientists have certainly been mixed, but the popularity of the scheme led many to continue it for the month of September after the Government had officially ended it.
RESTAURANTS and pubs in Wales were struggling to find staff even before the easing of coronavirus restrictions, with job adverts in the sector already higher than pre-pandemic levels by June.
Hospitality has been one of the industries hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic. Bars and clubs in particular have fared the worst.
Across the UK, the proportion of accommodation and food businesses that have had to temporarily close or pause business since the first lockdown started has been one of the highest.
In spring last year, 81.2% of all businesses were closed, which went down to 48.5% during the autumn and winter restrictions and rose again to 54.4% during the lockdown in early 2021.
Only the entertainment and recreational sector saw higher rates.
Now that restrictions have been eased, however, the hospitality sector is facing another problem: staff shortages.
Exclusive figures from Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) show the extent of vacancies in Wales.
In June, there were 5,837 vacancies in the hospitality sector in Wales. That’s more than twice the 2,497 vacancies recorded in June 2019.
Kitchen and catering assistants were the most wanted, with 2,195 open positions (up from 888 in 2019), followed by 1,869 vacancies for chefs (up from 847) and 497 bar staff jobs (up from 205 in 2019).
According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), staffing in the sector may have also been affected by Brexit.
According to a report by Caterer. com, a magazine for hospitality professionals, around 21.6% of those employed in UK hospitality pre-pandemic were EU nationals - a proportion that has now fallen to 18.7%.
According to Caterer.com, six in 10 hospitality employers said they were getting more applications from UK workers than ever before.
Kathy Dyball, director at Caterer. com, said: “It’s encouraging to see more UK workers entering the industry as people see the valuable, long-term employment opportunities hospitality can offer.
“However, talented EU workers remain an essential part of the sector’s success and we join the industry in calling for the Government to urgently make it easier for hospitality talent to return to the UK.
“The staff shortages the sector has been grappling with have only been exacerbated by the recent ‘pingdemic’ and staff being taken out of work at no notice.”
Currently people are contacted by Test and Trace and asked to self-isolate for 10 days if they have come into close contact with someone who has tested positive for the virus.