Eat Out to Help Out.

I agree with 25avalon. Cook is wonderful and when the family came to visit recently (outdoors) I ordered a complete meal which was cheaper than if I had to do everything from scratch.
Would not use every day but my freezer has meals for when needed

Juicylucy

Can we all just do our bit and enjoy it for what it is, whilst helping hospitality along the way. They cannot please all the people all the time but gosh they are trying there best. Please leave politics out of this.

How can you leave politics out of it when it's using taxpayers' money for a scheme which will not benefit the economy in the long-term? Many people still won't leave home and 3 million are too broke to eat out.

No, I won't be eating out, at least not for anything more adventurous than coffee and cake until I've got my new teeth - and goodness knows how long that will be. I'm not holding my breath.

Can we all just do our bit and enjoy it for what it is, whilst helping hospitality along the way. They cannot please all the people all the time but gosh they are trying there best. Please leave politics out of this.

Oh yes. Don't forget to tip the waiter/tress too.

I would not have a problem with the VAT reduction not being passed on to the customer. After 3 months without any customers and now, fewer than normal, I think the restaurants could probably do with that little bit extra.

Flakesdayout

I wont go. At the moment I don't really feel safe. And seeing the effort of Rishi Sunak trying to deliver a meal without any PPE I wouldn't touch that. I do hope that this scheme helps out the local restaurants but I'm not sure it goes far enough, but every little bit helps I suppose.

Oh come on, a staged photo opportunity.
Not to be taken seriously!

Grandad1943

Whitewavemark2

grandad do you mean as good as we can expect from this Tory government?

It certainly isn’t as good as it gets.

Well, I would put it this way Whitewavemark2. It is as good as it is going to get from this government, and far more than many on the left such as myself would ever have expected to come from a Conservative government.

After all, we only have to look towards Donald Trumps ultra-right-wing America to witness how the situation could have been in Britain. In that, we have seen long lines of displaced workers with their children queuing up for meagre daily food handouts at roadside charity stalls which closely resemble the soup kitchens of the 1930s

Let's all be thankful that although the situation Britain is in is far from good we have, at least, nothing resembling the situation in America.

If enough of us who can now all pull together and spend some money, we may soon see some light at the end of the tunnel.

For there is nothing else.

The U.K. has been the hardest hit economy in the OECD including the USA

One if the reasons of course is that the economy was already slowing down because of Brexit and lack of confidence in the U.K. government. Covid is a double whammy and we still have a potential no deal and Brexit ahead if us.

That is why Sunak’s budget is too timid and small in scope.

No way. I never eat out.
But for those who do, l hope they take advantage of the discount on offer.
We all need to start (carefully) living again, and that means eating out, for some people.

I wont go. At the moment I don't really feel safe. And seeing the effort of Rishi Sunak trying to deliver a meal without any PPE I wouldn't touch that. I do hope that this scheme helps out the local restaurants but I'm not sure it goes far enough, but every little bit helps I suppose.

25Avalon. I got all excited . COOK sounds perfect for us. Have to spend £85+ for free delivery. Seems we're outside the area for free delivery on a £40+ order.
.
Had to though. Website told me to change my postcode then I could get the £40 minimum order option. I'd have to leave Cornwall. No thank you.

We don't eat out much but our two favourite pubs are open every day of the week so we will be back there to get the 50% off Much prefer eating out during the week e.g Mondays

I seem to remember a thread with some saying they'd been supporting local restaurants by ordering their home deliveries. Shame that the vulnerable miss out again as this voucher doesn't seem to extend to takeaways, assuming the restaurants will keep doing them.

Whitewavemark2

grandad do you mean as good as we can expect from this Tory government?

It certainly isn’t as good as it gets.

Well, I would put it this way Whitewavemark2. It is as good as it is going to get from this government, and far more than many on the left such as myself would ever have expected to come from a Conservative government.

After all, we only have to look towards Donald Trumps ultra-right-wing America to witness how the situation could have been in Britain. In that, we have seen long lines of displaced workers with their children queuing up for meagre daily food handouts at roadside charity stalls which closely resemble the soup kitchens of the 1930s

Let's all be thankful that although the situation Britain is in is far from good we have, at least, nothing resembling the situation in America.

If enough of us who can now all pull together and spend some money, we may soon see some light at the end of the tunnel.

For there is nothing else.

I don't normally eat out much and I can't recall ever eating out on a Monday to Wednesday evening. But I would support local independent cafes and restaurants, when I feel it is safe, which is not yet. But I might feel better about the risks in August if no surge in second waves in July, such as the one in Leicester.

The VAT reduction is a tax incentive which will be passed on to customers, but obviously it doesn't stop hospitality businesses putting up their prices to reflect their increased costs and reduction in turnover.
Quite frankly unless these smaller local businesses raise their VAT excluded prices a little, few will survive on the meagre £10 discount voucher scheme alone. It would have been good to see the temporary VAT reduction rolled out to other sectors.
However how we and the next few generations are going to pay for all this support will also be a worry .

We will keep an eye on the websites of local pubs to see if any are participating.

Yes we probably will. We don't eat out very often as I love cooking & trying new things but I can see it is a good way to get people back into restaurants again.
I would like a good curry TBH. Never quite the same when I make it at home. We have a very good Keralan restaurant in town too.

Why the concentration on eating out when so many other things were announced to help get people back into work and help the economy. I have no-one to go out for a meal with so I won't be going, if I did - I would.

Jane10

I don't remember any government that's given as much as this.

That is because you weren’t alive (I assume) jane

Johnson headline “New Deal” was copied from Roosevelt’s economic plan in the 30s. But nothing Sunak has so far put forward bears any resemblance either to the new deal or post war labour spending.

I don't remember any government that's given as much as this.

grandad do you mean as good as we can expect from this Tory government?

It certainly isn’t as good as it gets.

Whitewavemark2, in regard to your post @10:02 it should be remembered that the government has also promised large-scale spending on roads and housing.

It was the Clement Atlee Labour government spending on a huge council house building program in 1945-1950 along with railway restructuring and the formation of the NHS that prevented Britain from once again having unemployment at the levels that were common throughout the late 1920s and 1930.

We can all argue where and at what levels this governments spending should take place. However, with an eighty seat majority, it will be this government that in the end will decide such matters.

Then it will be for those in employment or who are on good pensions to spend that income to better the overall economy.

That is the way it always has been and always will be. For what is to come from government(s), this is as good as it gets.

I hope this is supported my DS works in hospitality and has been made redundant I would like to think he can get back in work soon.

I'm likely to take advantage of this offer, especially at lunchtime when £10 off will easily halve my bill - I don't drink alcohol as I usually drive. I hope lots of small local eateries sign up to the offer as I think it is important to support them.

I had assumed that the VAT cut was for the benefit of the business, not to be passed on to customers, perhaps I missed something as other people here seem to want that discount as well as the £10 scheme.

As for complaining about the deal not matching the previous days headlines ( ie £500 spending vouchers) I was actually horrified at that - how on earth could our economy afford it! I rarely believe such headlines anyway, sounded like an April Fool's trick to me!

Think I’ll pay the bill and leave the 50% as a tip IF it goes to the waiter

We're really hoping it will be safe enough to partake of this deal as before we used to go out for lunch at least once a week, and are really missing it. It will also give us a chance to try restaurants or pubs that do not normally do deals, provided they are taking part. It's great that it includes soft drinks also.