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Eat Out to Help Out?

(83 Posts)
Riverwalk Sun 09-Aug-20 16:52:15

Has anyone participated in this scheme yet? Seems to be a success so far, from what I've read.

Tomorrow I'm meeting a friend for lunch at Westfield, Shepherds Bush, to give it a go - all hands to the pump! ?

LullyDully Tue 11-Aug-20 08:21:09

We went to a pub with a garden yesterday with family. We had to read the menu on our phones, decide what to eat and photograph the symbol on the table. This ordered the food and it was brought to the table. All very slick . There were portable toilets outside also.
Not much choice on the menu however. I had fish and chips rather than a healthy salad!

I must say if just the two of us had gone I wouldn't have managed the technology. Thank goodness for the young.

Ellianne Tue 11-Aug-20 07:44:00

Ate out again last night this time in a pub on the patio. I wouldn't advise it compared with our lovely lunchtime experience in a restaurant garden. Far too much circulating by both staff and customers. It was the ordering of 2 or 3 drinks throughout the meal that created extra traffic, plus the need for the toilet with the extra liquid intake, and also people going to check the specials board inside. I will be back to the restaurants next week.

Lucca Tue 11-Aug-20 07:33:55

Esspee

Ate out last night for the first time since lockdown. Not a pleasant experience so we intend to go back to ordering and collecting.

Out of interest, why ? Was it the food or the Safety aspect ?

Esspee Tue 11-Aug-20 07:05:15

Ate out last night for the first time since lockdown. Not a pleasant experience so we intend to go back to ordering and collecting.

harrigran Mon 10-Aug-20 23:20:01

No I haven't been out for a meal. We are ordering restaurant food which is delivered to the house.

BlueBelle Mon 10-Aug-20 22:25:39

Haven’t eaten anywhere that’s taking part yet ?

ginny Mon 10-Aug-20 22:16:23

Used the scheme 3 times. Lunch with 4 year old DGS.
Lunch with DD1 and DGS 17.
Dinner with DH. All local restaurants and all outside tables.
Will be using it again on Wednesday evening.

Callistemon Mon 10-Aug-20 22:07:37

Jane10

Looks like this nice party has left a nasty TripAdvisor review saying the place should be closed down. Luckily it's very popular and lots of nice reviews have just been posted. Some people!

I hope your DS puts a response in reply explaining what happened.

Anyone reading the review will probably realise just how thick unreasonable these people are.

rubysong Mon 10-Aug-20 22:01:57

We had a sandwich today whilst waiting for new tyres to be put on the car. When we came to pay we found Boris had paid half. We'd forgotten about the scheme.

Riverwalk Mon 10-Aug-20 18:57:30

Well my friend and I had lunch at Bill's and all was well - I was so glad to see that they were very busy! In fact we had to wait a couple of minutes for a table inside - boiling hot and humid outside.

I do hope the hospitality industry can bounce back - judging from today, a Monday, I'm optimistic. smile

As an aside, I'm not an enthusiastic shopper and don't like shopping malls but we did have a mooch around M&S and John Lewis - I bought a bra at the latter.

quizqueen Sun 09-Aug-20 18:00:45

Jane10, I don't know what 'up to £10 off each customer' is difficult to understand but there are a lot of stupid people around.

I think it's probably best that staff inform customers exactly how much their final bill will be when they place their order, especially if they have ordered a lot, and then they can chose whether to stay and eat or not.

Ellianne Sun 09-Aug-20 17:48:38

I enjoy a glass of wine at lunchtime but I purposely stuck to soft drinks. If I understand the rules, (useless at Maths), they must be perfectly clear.
I feel sorry for your son Jane10.

GrannyGravy13 Sun 09-Aug-20 17:46:12

Jane10 hopefully the good reviews will outweigh the one bad one......some people are only happy when they are complaining.

Jane10 Sun 09-Aug-20 17:42:40

Looks like this nice party has left a nasty TripAdvisor review saying the place should be closed down. Luckily it's very popular and lots of nice reviews have just been posted. Some people!

Riverwalk Sun 09-Aug-20 17:40:37

That's dreadful Jane - it's been made quite clear that the offer is for food and soft drinks.

Some people are so stingy and/or out to make mischief.

fevertree Sun 09-Aug-20 17:38:09

Jane10 how awful! angry

I would certainly tip the staff generously in a restaurant offering this discount.

MiniMoon Sun 09-Aug-20 17:37:27

We are meeting friends for lunch on Tuesday, and are going to a venue participating in the scheme. It is a really good restaurant, and I'm looking forward to going.

Riverwalk Sun 09-Aug-20 17:35:28

We'll probably go to Bill's Ellianne - nowhere fancy!

MerylStreep don't feel guilty, the pub will be able to claim up to £10 per person back, and they profit from the drinks - so win win!

Jane10 Sun 09-Aug-20 17:33:34

My DS is a restaurant manager. He told me that they were very busy last week. He worked 90 hours himself. However, some of the people using the deal were most unpleasant. One party ordered £100 of food and £100 in drinks then were furious and extremely rude that the whole bill wasn't half price. It was patiently explained to them but they shouted at him and told him he should be grateful for their custom. I suppose it's the nasty customers that stick in the mind and most people would be nice or just OK. Very few people left tips for the staff who were working flat out in awkward new circumstances. sad but angry for my poor son and his staff.

fevertree Sun 09-Aug-20 17:27:45

I didn't realise that the M&S Cafe I popped in to last week (in London) was participating until they explained why my lunch was so cheap!

MerylStreep Sun 09-Aug-20 17:25:01

We have eaten out twice on the scheme. One of them I felt really guilty as the pub was doing a deal and then there was the government deal so the meal was next to nothing.
We did have several drinks though ?
We will be going out again on Tuesday.

Ellianne Sun 09-Aug-20 17:20:27

Enjoy your Westfield lunch Riverwalk. Your restaurants over that way are nicer than our Westfield Stratford eateries! grin

Ashcombe Sun 09-Aug-20 17:18:33

Yes, this worked well when we ate at our local pub/restaurant last Wednesday. Although it was busy, our landlady & landlord have all the required precautions well in place.

Ellianne Sun 09-Aug-20 17:14:21

We are having a meal out each week under the August scheme. So far very impressed with the measures in place and how the restaurants have adapted.

52bright Sun 09-Aug-20 17:11:54

We are having 4 nights away with daughter and family later this month. She has booked up a different restaurant participating in the scheme for the Mon to Wed of our break. Should make a reasonable difference to the bill when there are 6 of us. Very helpful as the cost of the hire of a house for us all plus two dogs was far more this year than we've paid in the past. Probably because most people who are going away this year are having a UK break.