In August, Rishi Sunak’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme saw 64 million meals claimed and cafes, pubs and restaurants become bustling once again following the lockdown.
So it’s no surprise that some restaurants and big name brands are continuing the Eat Out to Help Out scheme into September, following a huge uplift in revenue.
Under the initial scheme, set out by the chancellor in July, diners could take up to £10 per person off their final food bill or 50 per cent off on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The rest was compensated for by the government.
Big chains such as McDonald's, KFC and Burger King were just some of the over 84,000 restaurants who took part in the scheme over four weeks.
With more people working from home and most restaurants closed over the lockdown, the discounts offered diners the chance to get back out again and enjoy a meal outside their homes.
But as it was only valid for August, the scheme has drawn to a close quicker than most would like. So to take advantage of the customer revival, many restaurants including the likes of Bill's and The Hard Rock Cafe have decided to continue the scheme out of their own pockets.
So if you want to continue getting amazing discounts at some of your favourite national and regional restaurants, then be sure to book a table with them (following the new government guidelines on meeting people indoors) and head over on Mondays to Wednesdays throughout September.
These are the restaurants giving Eat Out to Help Out another shot this month...
So which restaurants are still doing Eat Out to Help Out deals in September?
Nationwide:
- Bill’s
- Franco Manca
- Hard Rock Cafe
- Harvester
- Pizza Hut
- Tesco Cafe
- TGI Fridays
- Toby Carvey
- Q Hotels Group
- Pizza Pilgrims
- Stonehouse Pizza
- Bistrot Pierre
- Gaucho
- Oakham Inns
- Revolution Bars
- San Carlo
- Slug and Lettuce
- The Coconut Tree
- The Real Greek
- Yo! Sushi
Regional:
- Signature Pub Group - Various locations in Scotland
- Hall & Woodhouse - Various locations in the south of England
- True North Brew Company - Yorkshire
- Arabica - London
- Benares - London
- Boxpark - London
- Burger & Lobster - London
- Cityglen Pubs - London
- Flesh & Bun - London
- Heliot Steakhouse - London
- Hot Stone - London
- Humble Grape - London
- Shack Fuyu - London
- Sophie’s Steakhouse - London
- Romulo - London (only Tuesdays and Wednesdays)
- The Riding House Cafe - London
- Brains Brewery - Cardiff
- The Coconut Tree - Bournemouth, Bristol, Cardiff, Cheltenham and Oxford
- Craft Dining Rooms - Birmingham
- Drake & Morgan - London, Manchester, Edinburgh
- Peru Perdu - Manchester
- The Standard - Essex
- 56 North - Edinburgh
Popular delivery service Deliveroo is also doing their own take on the scheme and offering diners £5 off their bill when they order take away over £20.
Hard Rock Cafe are offering diners 50 per cent off up to £10 per head on Mondays to Fridays, with the secret password 'Eat Out to Help Out extention' which must be mentioned before placing your food order.
While Wetherspoons are not continuing with the deal, they have committed to reducing the price of their food and soft drinks on a longer term basis on Monday to Wednesday's until November 11. Bella Italia is taking 25 per cent off all main meals and Cafè Rouge is offering the same discount on all food until September 10. But to utilise both offers, you will need a code which can be found on their websites.
Some restaurants have formerly opted out of the deal and told MoneySavingExpert that they are not participating. These include cult favourites such as Frankie & Benny's, TGI Friday's, Wahaca, Las Iguanas, Fuller's, KFC and Wagamama's.
READ MORE: Which Pizza Express restaurants are closing in the UK?
But just like when Eat Out to Help Out began, it’s thought that other restaurants will join the endeavour over the month.
Is Costa still doing Eat Out to Help Out?
Costa opted into the August Eat Out to Help Out scheme last month but it seems that they are not one of the cafes who will be continuing the discount into September, confirming on their Twitter page that Monday was the last day you could use the discount in stores.
Although they could opt in at a later date this month and offer customers their own discount on coffees, pastries and the rest!
During the initial Eat Out to Help Out scheme, Costa was selling a regular filter coffee in a reusable cup for 32p or for 59p in a disposable cup. It was one of the alternative offers given as part of the chancellor's scheme.
How will the new scheme work?
Whereas restaurants previously claimed the difference back from the government, now they will foot the bill themselves.
It comes as restaurants reported a huge upsurge in bookings over the last month, with many restaurants being completely booked out for the days where the discount was valid.
For those in the industry, the lifting of restrictions came as a huge relief as the hospitality industry struggled to survive since lockdown began. Thousands of people lost their jobs and businesses were forced to close for good across the country.
Now, even those restaurants in local lockdown areas are permitted to open, with strict social distancing measures in place.
When will Eat Out to Help Out end in September?
Some restaurants are now offering the discount throughout this month, with varying deals from 50 per cent off or £10 off per person to more specific deals and discounts.
But it’s thought that some restaurants, such as Brains Brewery, will only offer the discount until September 9 2020.
Then the discounts will finally come to an end on the last day of the month.
