More than 5,000 South West restaurants have signed up to take part in the Government鈥檚 half-price meal initiative, it has been revealed.
HM Revenue and Customs said that so far 5,033 of the region鈥檚 businesses had joined the Eat Out to Help Out scheme, from a national total of more than 72,000 including independent eateries and chains such as Pizza Express, Costa Coffee and Nando鈥檚.
HMRC stressed that the number of South West eateries only relates to businesses that have fewer than 26 outlets. The actual figure, that includes large restaurant chains, is much higher.
Under the initiative, diners across the South West will see their restaurant bills slashed by as much as 50% from Monday August 3.
Anyone visiting a participating restaurant, caf茅 or pub on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays throughout August will receive the half price discount.
The Government said the idea is to keep more money in hardworking families鈥 pockets and giving a vital boost to the 海角视频鈥檚 hospitality sector, which has been hammered by the coronavirus outbreak and subsequent lockdown.
The scheme 鈥 part of the government鈥檚 Plan for Jobs that it is hoped will spur the country鈥檚 economic recovery from coronavirus 鈥 applies to all food and non-alcoholic drinks, with a maximum discount per person of 拢10. It could, therefore, save a family of four up to 拢40 per meal.
There have already been more than 3.3million hits on the Eat Out to Help Out restaurant finder, which shows what businesses are participating in local areas.
Many restaurants have seen a boost in bookings . Apps such as Opentable, Fork and Bookatable are all planning pages to support the scheme.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak said : 鈥淥ur Eat Out to Help Out scheme鈥檚 number one aim is to help protect the jobs of 1.8million chefs, waiters and restaurateurs by boosting demand and getting customers through the door.
鈥淢ore than 72,000 establishments will be serving discounted meals across the country, with the Government paying half the bill.
鈥淭he industry is a vital ingredient to our economy and it鈥檚 been hit hard by coronavirus, so enjoy summer safely by showing your favourite places your support 鈥 we鈥檒l pay half.鈥
How to contact William Telford and Business Live
Business Live's South West Business Reporter is William Telford. William has more than a decade's experience reporting on the business scene in Plymouth and the South West. He is based in Plymouth but covers the entire region.
To contact William: Email: william.telford@reachplc.com - Phone: 01752 293116 - Mob: 07584 594052 - Twitter: - LinkedIn: - Facebook:
Stay in touch: BusinessLive newsletters have been re-designed to make them even better. We send morning bulletins straight to your inbox on the latest news, views and opinion in the South West. Get our breaking news alerts and weekly sector reviews too. Sign up now - it's free and it only takes a minute. To sign up for Business Live's daily newsletters click .
And visit the Business Live South West LinkedIn page
The scheme was announced during Mr Sunak鈥檚 鈥渕ini-Budget鈥 statement in July with the aim of helping protect the jobs of the hospitality industry鈥檚 1.8million employees by encouraging people to safely return to restaurants, cafes and pubs where social-distancing rules allow.
About 80% of hospitality firms stopped trading in April, with 1.4million workers furloughed, the highest of any sector.
Many participating restaurants offer healthy and low-calorie options, and the scheme should be enjoyed as part of a healthy and balanced lifestyle, the Government said. No vouchers are needed, with the participating establishment deducting 50% from the bill.
The Government is aware that people may be worried about returning to eat out. So, to address these concerns, businesses have prepared to become COVID-secure through, for example, protective screens, contactless payments, social distancing, one way walking systems, online bookings and reduced capacity.
The Eat Out to Help Out scheme is one part of the Chancellor鈥檚 拢30billion Plan for Jobs, announced in July. Other measures announced to protect, support and create jobs include cutting VAT for tourism and hospitality by 15%, a 拢2billion Kickstart Scheme and an 拢8.8billion investment in new infrastructure, decarbonisation and maintenance projects.
