Diners line up for one last bargain as Eat Out to Help Out offer ends

BARGAIN-munchers queued for up to three hours yesterday on the last day of the Eat Out to Help Out scheme.

Lines formed at McDonald’s, Leeds, and Wagamama in Windsor and Brighton as diners looked to enjoy up to a tenner-a-head off, one last time.

Waits for popular eateries began after breakfast at Westfield shopping centre White City, West London.

But some people were turned away as restaurants like Wahaca were unable to cope with the bank holiday rush.

Others in Central London’s Soho waited patiently outside Chinese restaurants to tuck into a discounted meal with family and friends.

Jacob Betterman, 18, was at Westfield, West London, with his mum and two sisters, but they struggled to get a table.

Jacob said: “I thought because there’s so many restaurants we wouldn’t have to wait.

“But we went to Wagamama and it looked like a 25-minute wait, and Ping Pong was about 40 minutes.”

Pub chain Wetherspoon today starts its own Stay Out to Help Out offer in a bid to keep punters coming.

From Monday to Wednesday until

November 11, families can order deals like a burger, chips and soft drink for £3.99 – £1 less than the usual £4.99.

The move aims to fill the void left by the end of Rishi Sunak’s scheme, which saw more than 64 million meals at 84,000 venues sold cheaply from Mondays to Wednesdays in August.

Both UKHospitality and the Federation for Small Businesses want the initiative to be extended.

And Wetherspoon boss Tim Martin said: “The Eat Out to Help Out scheme was extremely popular and a great boost to the hospitality industry.”

Other chains set to offer their own half-price deals from Monday to Wednesday throughout September include Toby Carvery, Harvester, Pizza Hut, Franco Manca, Bill’s, and Tesco Cafe.

Scores of independent restaurants have also pledged to foot some of the bill for diners, including Birmingham’s Pulperia steak house and Peru Perdu, Manchester.

As Mr Sunak’s project took its last orders, the Chancellor said: “The scheme reminded us why we love dining out and I urge diners to help continue our economic recovery.”

The scheme has been popular & boosted the industry

TIM MARTIN PRAISES MR SUNAK’S INITIATIVE