Has anyone taken advantage of the Government's Eat out to help out scheme?

[Kate!]

whereby you get 50% off your meal and soft drinks. Offer available Monday to Wednesday in August.

I have been to Kaspa's for half price and also to our local carvery The Royal Oak pub. Its a great discount and well worth it. X

[Mitchell]

Once or twice, but I’m not going to be able to take advantage of the rest of it x

[LukeB]

Quite a few times really, i haven't been places like Nandos though because there's always a big queue to get inside.

[Kate!]

Once or twice, but I’m not going to be able to take advantage of the rest of it x

are you going gallivanting to America again hunni? X

[arista]

No

[Mitchell]

are you going gallivanting to America again hunni? X

I wish America was open :joker: Nope I’m in Paris, which means I’m isolating for two weeks on my return :p

[Kate!]

I wish America was open :joker: Nope I’m in Paris, which means I’m isolating for two weeks on my return :p

oh yes. Silly me. Have a great time. X

[MTVN]

Only used it twice so far, once on a midweek pub lunch getting a massive meal for £6 and once on a crap fried chicken place where I still felt ripped off only paying £4

Think I will use it again this week for a pub lunch though

[Kate!]

Only used it twice so far, once on a midweek pub lunch getting a massive meal for £6 and once on a crap fried chicken place where I still felt ripped off only paying £4

Think I will use it again this week for a pub lunch though

yes Matt. Make the most of it while its still available. Enjoy. X

[Smithy]

Going McDonald’s tomorrow to make the most of it :pipe:

[smudgie]

Daughter and her fella had fish and chips etc in a Whitby eateries through the week.
We are still supporting our local takeaways while they are home.😊

[Toy Soldier]

It doesn't apply to drive-thru so no :hmph:. I probably would have if it was available on Friday/Saturday, but can't really be taking the fam out for dinner on a week night now that the kids are back at school.

[Barry.]

I did at our local pub. It's a good deal plus it was empty.

[Daniel-X]

Only McDonald’s and Bar Burrito so far, Nando’s is always like a 2/3 hour wait.

[Kate!]

Only McDonald’s and Bar Burrito so far, Nando’s is always like a 2/3 hour wait.

Daniel...I don't know what part of Wigan you are from but we go to a great pub at Bolton. X

[Glenn.]

No we’re in the middle of a pandemic. Eating out isn’t essential when you have food at home away from other people

[Kate!]

No we’re in the middle of a pandemic. Eating out isn’t essential when you have food at home away from other people

No one said it was essential. :shrug: It is enjoyable and you wear a mask except when you're actually eating/drinking. It supports the economy.

[Vanessa]

Yes, but I only go to restaurants that have tables outside.
I love eating alfresco :laugh:

[Kizzy]

Yeah me and my lad went to maccy ds, some brat started sqwaking so we ate one nug grabbed our order and chipped lol!

[Cherie]

No not yet, went out last Thurs with 2 friends and had lunch in a pub garden, it was nice and quiet and the sun was out ..lovely

[joeysteele]

No, I do think it's a fairly good idea if things were safer.
I don't feel it is really safe so although I love eating out.
I haven't since February and can't see me taking even the slightest risk at this time.
Likely not this year now for certain.
Again too, I'd rarely eat out in the earlier days of the week anyway.

Preferring Friday or Weekends myself.

How do I know for instance all is really that safe in the kitchens too.
So no.

For those who have however, I'm pleased you have had some chance to, just please keep safe.

[Babayaro.]

No one said it was essential. :shrug: It is enjoyable and you wear a mask except when you're actually eating/drinking. It supports the economy.

.

[Liam-]

The name of the scheme will never not be stupid, it’s ****ing ridiculous :joker:

[Cherie]

The name of the scheme will never not be stupid, it’s ****ing ridiculous :joker:

oh you smutty, never associated it with smut until now :laugh:

[Vanessa]

I'm definitely going tomorrow. Taking advantage now, the offer is only for this month.

[Toy Soldier]

The name of the scheme will never not be stupid, it’s ****ing ridiculous :joker:

Cardi B suggested it?

[Smithy]

Going McDonald’s tomorrow to make the most of it :pipe:

THE BASTARD WAS CLOSED

Opens on Wednesday though so gonna go then :hee:

[Ammi]

THE BASTARD WAS CLOSED

Opens on Wednesday though so gonna go then :hee:

...welcome to the U.K. ...:laugh:..

[Ammi]

Restaurants pull out of Eat Out to Help Out scheme over rude and ‘hostile’ customers...



Several restaurants have pulled out of the government’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme because of “unwelcome behaviour” from some diners.

The initiative, which was introduced at the start of August, sees restaurants take 50% off the bill, which is then claimed back from the government.

Some 85,000 restaurants signed up, but now several owners have spoken out about levels of “hostility” towards staff since the scheme started.

Kelly Hill, who runs the Tavern Inn in Newquay, told the BBC she had pulled out of the scheme because the demand has brought them “nothing but negativity”.

She said: "People are ordering big, big meals; they are not willing to wait for their food; our staff are being shouted at for having no tables, or for the service being slow. It's put an awful lot of strain on our waiting staff and kitchen staff.”

Waitress Claudia Casey, 22, described a recent experience during the campaign as the “worst night of my eight years in the hospitality industry.

...full article...
https://uk.yahoo.com/news/eat-out-help-out-rude-customers-070521346.html

[MTVN]

^ That's a shame but it must be a very tiny minority that have those problems, in general there seems to have been so much positivity about the scheme.

I went for lunch yesterday and would normally never even have thought to book on a Tuesday but I phoned up three places in advance and they were fully booked and eventually got in the forth place. I also went for a big breakfast today and the place had reservations on most the tables through the whole morning, was lucky to get in without booking

[Cherie]

Yes I think that’s an odd case..went for costa coffee and cake today..it was lovely, socially distanced ....and everyone was acting normally :laugh:

[caprimint]

No we’re in the middle of a pandemic. Eating out isn’t essential when you have food at home away from other people
:facepalm:

[Kizzy]

I can't understand why it's not drive through too, surely then you're isolating and supporting the economy?..

[MTVN]

I can't understand why it's not drive through too, surely then you're isolating and supporting the economy?..

They don't want people isolating anymore, it's about encouraging people to dine out and reassure them that it's safe

[Dogeatdog]

Only over the last couple days because when this scheme first started the queues for places was absolutely ridiculous it just wasn’t worth the wait.

[Toy Soldier]

Having worked a kitchen, I can see why it would be a problem. People probably aren't actually paying less when they're getting half price... they'll pay the same and order double. Kitchens only have so much capacity and it can "tip over the line" very easily in unusual circumstances and as soon as you get a backlog, meals start taking ages to get out to tables, things start going cold, and you have the knock-on of reduced table availability because it's taking so long to feed the people who are already there. I was a pub-chef while I was at Uni and one year the bar manager managed to forget that it was St Patricks day... in a Uni town... with a high Irish student population... and staffed for a normal Thursday... on one of the busiest nights of the year. It was horrendous. I still have flashbacks :worry:.

I can't understand why it's not drive through too, surely then you're isolating and supporting the economy?..

I think the issue is that it was designed to support businesses that haven't been doing OK, i.e. those without delivery/drive-thru capabilities. Fast food places - based on the queues - have been doing fine since they were allowed to reopen and would be doing fine even without the dine-in option.

To be honest I think if the govt. had had the option, fast food franchises wouldn't have been included in the scheme at all, but I imagine they couldn't legally exclude them because they are technically still "eat-in dining" if you go in. But yeah, the scheme really wasn't designed to help out McDonalds and KFC, who don't need it.

[Kizzy]

They don't want people isolating anymore, it's about encouraging people to dine out and reassure them that it's safe

Well not isolating but you have the option to eat in or out then if it's busy.
It's not actually 'safe' is it? They didn't have to introduce the half price thing imo as in a socially distanced place they would've got the capacity at full price. This as said encourages risks like queues and places ignoring social distancing guidelines.

It could be seen as a herd immunity tactic, in an enclosed space maskless, touching chairs and things. otherwise what is the point?

[Kizzy]

Having worked a kitchen, I can see why it would be a problem. People probably aren't actually paying less when they're getting half price... they'll pay the same and order double. Kitchens only have so much capacity and it can "tip over the line" very easily in unusual circumstances and as soon as you get a backlog, meals start taking ages to get out to tables, things start going cold, and you have the knock-on of reduced table availability because it's taking so long to feed the people who are already there. I was a pub-chef while I was at Uni and one year the bar manager managed to forget that it was St Patricks day... in a Uni town... with a high Irish student population... and staffed for a normal Thursday... on one of the busiest nights of the year. It was horrendous. I still have flashbacks :worry:.



I think the issue is that it was designed to support businesses that haven't been doing OK, i.e. those without delivery/drive-thru capabilities. Fast food places - based on the queues - have been doing fine since they were allowed to reopen and would be doing fine even without the dine-in option.

To be honest I think if the govt. had had the option, fast food franchises wouldn't have been included in the scheme at all, but I imagine they couldn't legally exclude them because they are technically still "eat-in dining" if you go in. But yeah, the scheme really wasn't designed to help out McDonalds and KFC, who don't need it.

Yep some forethought on the subsidy would have been good and gear it towards those only without the option of drive through or take away. Or have 50% for those without and 25% for those with.

[Crimson Dynamo]

did maccies at weekend and sat in. was fine

[bots]

restaurants that were already busy shouldn't have signed up for the scheme, they were being greedy

[Cherie]

Having worked a kitchen, I can see why it would be a problem. People probably aren't actually paying less when they're getting half price... they'll pay the same and order double. Kitchens only have so much capacity and it can "tip over the line" very easily in unusual circumstances and as soon as you get a backlog, meals start taking ages to get out to tables, things start going cold, and you have the knock-on of reduced table availability because it's taking so long to feed the people who are already there. I was a pub-chef while I was at Uni and one year the bar manager managed to forget that it was St Patricks day... in a Uni town... with a high Irish student population... and staffed for a normal Thursday... on one of the busiest nights of the year. It was horrendous. I still have flashbacks :worry:.



I think the issue is that it was designed to support businesses that haven't been doing OK, i.e. those without delivery/drive-thru capabilities. Fast food places - based on the queues - have been doing fine since they were allowed to reopen and would be doing fine even without the dine-in option.

To be honest I think if the govt. had had the option, fast food franchises wouldn't have been included in the scheme at all, but I imagine they couldn't legally exclude them because they are technically still "eat-in dining" if you go in. But yeah, the scheme really wasn't designed to help out McDonalds and KFC, who don't need it.

No one I know that availed of it ordered double, they were happy to get the a meal at 50% off :shrug: the scheme seems to have worked well from what I can gather

[MTVN]

Yeah I mean surely not that many people are so gluttonous that they'll massively overeat by ordering themselves two meals just because they can.

The only way I'd think people are ordering more is they might now have a starter or desert as well as they're main

[caprimint]

Yeah I mean surely not that many people are so gluttonous that they'll massively overeat by ordering themselves two meals just because they can.

The only way I'd think people are ordering more is they might now have a starter or desert as well as they're main
*their

You've had one too many Matthew

[MTVN]

I never mix up my theirs :omgno:

Time to delete this whole thread

[caprimint]

:joker:

[Ammi]

...there is always so much conflicting contrast in media articles as well...another media source was reporting a similar article, which I read yesterday or the day before, I can’t recall which

‘Overworked and abused': Some hospitality staff can't wait for Eat Out to Help Out to end...


https://uk.yahoo.com/news/eat-out-help-out-abuse-customers-075209676.html

...but I’ve also read an article in the last few days...(...apologies I don’t have a link for that one...)...which was calls from restaurants for the scheme to be given another month in September because it’s helping so much...

[Ammi]

...in before their conflicting stories are deleted with their thread...