Banbury area diners saved £625,000 through the Eat Out to Help Out scheme

Bookings up during August as 113 local venues take advantage of the scheme to save dine in customers up to 50% off the price of their food

Savings of £625,000 were made by diners in the Banbury area who used the Eat Out to Help Out scheme during August

113 restaurants, pubs, cafes and venues took part according to government figures released today.

On average diners locally saved £4.96 per meal.

Across the country savings were made on over 100 million meals.   On the final day of the scheme (August 31) bookings were up 216% compared to the same day in 2019 according to OpenTable.

84,700 establishments signed up to the scheme and between them made 130,000 claims worth £522 million.   These numbers are expected to grow, with restaurants having until the end of September to claim back the 50% government-funded discount applied to bills.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak said, “From the get-go our mission has been to protect jobs, and to do this we needed to be creative, brave and try things that no government has ever done before.

“Today’s figures continue to show Eat Out to Help Out has been a success. I want to thank everyone, from restaurant owners to waiters, chefs and diners, for embracing it and helping drive our economic recovery.

“The scheme is just one part of our Plan for Jobs and we will continue to protect, support and create jobs to ensure we come back stronger as a nation”.

A number of eateries in the Banbury FM area have continued to offer their own version of the scheme into September in an attempt6 to maintain booking levels.   In each case the venue is funding this itself with government support having ended at the end of August.

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Published: 04/09/2020 02:20pm by Banbury FM Newsteam

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