More than 80,000 people take up Eat Out to Help Out in south Shropshire

According to statistics, the scheme was successful in the south of the county and has been celebrated by local businesses who took part and the hundreds of people who took up the offer.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak's scheme aimed to support restaurants and eateries following closure caused by the coronavirus pandemic. It offered customers 50 per cent off their food bills, up to a maximum of £10 discount per diner, at participating restaurants on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

Due to social distancing restrictions and other safety guidelines, restaurateurs were anxious to open up again, as they worried about a potential lack of business.

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In total, more than 100 million meals were claimed across the UK under the scheme, which ran throughout the month of August. In total, 84,700 establishments signed up to the scheme, including 142 in south Shropshire.

Ludlow MP Philip Dunne has celebrated the success of the scheme in the south of the county, which has supported local businesses and local people.

“I am very pleased at the level of support local people in south Shropshire have provided to our brilliant restaurants and hospitality businesses," he said.

Protecting

“Eat Out to Help Out was always about far more than just giving people money off their meals – it was about protecting jobs which are reliant on businesses which have really struggled through coronavirus.

“I have no doubt that there are businesses in south Shropshire today which, without this brilliant scheme, may not have made it through the summer. I hope local people will continue to support them in the months ahead.”

The scheme is credited with protecting 1.8 million jobs across the country, with restaurant bookings significantly up on the previous year. Data from OpenTable shows bookings increased by an average of 52 per cent on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays throughout the whole of August, compared to the same days in 2019.

Eat Out to Help Out was just one part of the Government’s Plan for Jobs – an ambitious £30 billion strategy to create, protect and support jobs as the country bounces back from coronavirus. The Government will continue to support the hospitality industry with a temporary discount to VAT, from 20 per cent to five per cent, until 12 January 2021.