Eat Out to Help Out sees 64 million meals claimed so far

More than 64 million meals have been enjoyed by diners across the country since the Eat Out to Help Out scheme launched at the beginning of August.

New figures published today by the Treasury show restaurants have claimed for more than 64 million discounted meals since 3 August, representing an upward trend in the number of guests served throughout the month. The meals have been claimed by some 87,000 businesses who are taking part in the scheme.

In addition, data from OpenTable shows that during the third week of the scheme, the number of customers at UK restaurants was an average of 61% higher than the same days last year across Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The average increase across Monday to Wednesday in the first and second weeks were 12% and 41% respectively.

The figures published by The Treasury have shown 10.5 million meals claimed in the first week, increasing to 35 million in the second.

It is hoped that the scheme's success in encouraging people to eat out will help to support 1.8 million jobs in the hospitality sector.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak said that today's figures show that the British public is continuing to back hospitality and are "equivalent to nearly every person in the country dining out to protect jobs".

He added: "This scheme has reminded us how much we love to dine out, and in doing so, how this is helping to protect the jobs of nearly two million people who work in hospitality."

He urged people to continue to "safely enjoy a meal while the scheme remains open".

A further poll by YouGov revealed that 35% of people surveyed said they plan to dine out "about the same" amount as they have been during August once the scheme has come to an end. In addition, most people (59%) said they would "strongly support" or "somewhat support" extending the discount scheme to the whole of September.

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