LONDON (Reuters) – Britain launched a $625 million “Eat out to help out” discount scheme to boost spending at restaurants, cafes and pubs that have been crippled by COVID-19, offering half-priced meals from Monday to Wednesday to get people spending again.
For the month of August, the scheme will entitle diners to a 50% discount of up to 10 pounds per head on their meal, finance minister Rishi Sunak said.
“This moment is unique. We need to be creative,” he told parliament during a statement on the outlook for the economy, noting such a stimulus measure had never been tried in the United Kingdom before.
The discount can be used unlimited times in August and will be valid Monday to Wednesday, in a bid to encourage people to dine out throughout the week and not just at the weekend.
It will not apply to alcohol.
Britain’s foodservice industry, which employed 1.8 million people before the crisis, has suffered thousands of job cuts, with layoffs announced by firms including the owners of the Caffe Ritazza and Cafe Rouge chains.
Pubs and restaurants have so far seen only around half their customers return as lockdown measures have been partially relaxed in recent days.
Sunak said participating businesses that register online can claim the money back on a weekly basis, with reimbursement taking just five working days.
He also announced a temporary cut in VAT sales tax from 20% to 5% for eat-in or hot takeaway food from restaurants, cafes and pubs.
Kate Nicholls, chief executive of industry lobby group UKHospitality, welcomed the announcements.
“The measures announced today are extremely positive … and they should give many businesses in our sector much-needed help to get going again in earnest,” she said.
(Reporting by James Davey and David Milliken; editing by Stephen Addison)
