Foodie thoughts

E AT O U T TO H E L P O U T F I T S B I L L P E R F E CT LY

It’s been a testing time to say the least for the hospitality industry, with pubs and restaurants among the hardest hit firstly by the lockdown, and subsequently by the social-distancing rules we are all having to adhere to.

These rules are there to help keep us safe and the challenge now as we venture out, some more tentatively than others, is how can we help local businesses get back on their feet, whether it’s a fish and chip shop in Filey, or a fine dining restaurant in York.

Part of Rishi Sunak’s £30bn economic stimulus is an innovative Eat Out to Help Out scheme, which starts on Monday.

It means that people who dine out from Monday to Wednesday this month will get 50 per cent off the price of their meals, up to the value of £10 a head. It doesn’t include alcohol so you’ll have to pay for your beer and wine, but it means a family of four can save £40 on a meal worth £80. The rest of the bill is picked up by the Government.

You don’t need a voucher as participating places will simply deduct the discount from your bill and reclaim it through an online service.

And it’s not just restaurants that are eligible – the scheme is open to anywhere that sells food for consumption on its premises, including hotels, leisure centres and even office canteens.

Those taking part have been sent window stickers so customers can start looking out for the logo, and, at the time of writing, more than 32,000 restaurants across the UK had signed up to the scheme. Those that do will be listed on a new online restaurant finder available on the Gov.uk website.

Nobody knows how long this strange new world is going to last, but one thing that is certain is we all have a part to play in supporting local businesses and that includes our pubs, cafes and restaurants. So let’s show some solidarity and do our bit where we can.