Guernsey Press

Restaurants and cafes claim £849m for 160 million Eat Out to Help Out meals

HMRC has announced more than 49,000 businesses made claims by the end of September.

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Businesses claimed more than £849 million through the Eat Out to Help Out scheme in August as customers bought more than 160 million meals, according to official figures.

HMRC has announced more than 49,000 restaurants, pubs and cafes made claims by the end of September through the subsidy scheme aimed to boost consumer spending after the first national lockdown.

The programme offered customers a 50% discount, up to £10, on meals and soft drinks on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays throughout August.

ECONOMY EatOut
(PA Graphics)

HMRC said the majority of claims – 55% – were made by restaurants, with pubs accounting for 28% of meals.

Around 93% of claims were made by small businesses with just one outlet, although these represent just over half of the total value of claims as chains received larger amounts from the Government.

Eat Out to Help Out: amount claimed
(PA Graphics)

Chains such as McDonald’s, KFC and Pizza Express signed up to offer discounts through the scheme.

The Government data reveals the number of meals discounted by the scheme and the total value of claims increased each week as more people used the offer every week before it ended.

Rishi Sunak
Chancellor Rishi Sunak promoted the scheme during a visit to the Isle of Bute off the west coast of Scotland in early August (Jeff J Mitchell/PA)

The last day of the scheme, August 31, saw another 16.9 million claims.

Customers secured an average discount of £5.24 per meal claimed, the figures show.

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