Almost 1.4 million meals were claimed throughout August in Edinburgh, at an average of £6.90 a meal, under the Eat Out to Help Out UK government scheme to get people back to restaurants.
The scheme gave 50% off meals, up to £10 per person through August on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
A total of £9,630,000 was claimed for across 465 registered restaurants in the capital.
Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, has hailed the success of the Eat Out to Help Out scheme getting customers back into restuarants.
The figures also don’t yet highlight the figures from the last day of the scheme on Monday 31 August, meaning the final total will be higher.
Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, said:“I am delighted that the Eat Out to Help Out scheme has been such a huge success in Edinburgh and that it has given restaurants a much needed boost after lockdown.
“The restaurant and hospitality sector is central to Edinburgh’s economy and the scheme will have helped many restaurants survive, as well as saving jobs.
“Almost £10 million in claimed discounts show just how big a success this scheme has been.”
We at Ye Olde Inn have loved seeing so many of you come out and support us over August and we don’t want it to stop, so we are exclusively going to continue the Eat Out To Help Out scheme ourselves for September and October!
Yes that means for Monday – Wednesday you can have 50% off your food and soft drinks on us! We are doing this to say thank you to you guys for your continued loyal custom to be a part of this great deal you must call and book and quote “Ye Olde Eat Out”
This is bookings only so we advise you get booking ASAP as this will fill up fast!
Once again thank you so much to each and every one of you for your incredible support,
Good weather and Eat Out To Help Out has boosted high street footfall
But retail and hospitality jobs at risk as office workers continue to stay away
Think tank warns this may not be sustained as we head into autumn
New data from the Centre for Cities High Street Recovery Tracker reveals that Eat Out To Help Out is helping the high street, but workers are resisting the Government’s calls to get back to the office – with average weekday city centre footfall showing no change at all since early July.
Using mobile phone data, the tracker shows that the Eat Out to Help Out scheme has encouraged more people to visit city and town centres. On average on Monday to Wednesday evenings in early August visitor numbers were 8 percentage points higher than in late July.
But the scheme has been less effective in large cities. In London, the number of city centre visitors on Eat Out to Help Out nights was just 3 percentage points higher than the same nights in late July – one of the lowest increases in the UK. In contrast, average footfall on Eat Out to Help Out nights in small cities was on average 10 percentage points higher than in late July and in medium sized cities it was 14 percentage points higher.
Seaside towns appear to have been some of the biggest beneficiaries of the Eat Out To Help Out scheme and the good weather. With a 23 percentage point increase in Monday to Wednesday night visitors, Bournemouth has had the biggest Eat Out To Help Out boom. Meanwhile Southend, Blackpool and Brighton have also benefited.
Biggest percentage point increase in Mon-Wed night visitors from late Jul to early Aug
Rank
City or town
Smallest percentage point increase in Mon-Wed night visitors from late Jul to early Aug
1
Bournemouth
23
1
Aberdeen
-3
2
Southend
22
2
Basildon
0
3
Dundee
21
3
Aldershot
3
4
Doncaster
20
4
London
3
5
Peterborough
19
5
Barnsley
4
6
Swansea
19
6
Blackburn
4
7
Ipswich
19
7
Sheffield
5
8
Middlesbrough
18
8
Wigan
6
9
Milton Keynes
18
9
Manchester
6
10
Blackpool
18
10
Mansfield
6
UK city average: 8 percentage point change from late July to early August (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday)Source: Locomizer
Workers are showing no signs of getting back to the office…
The number of workers heading back to the office has increased in fewer than half of the UK’s biggest city and town centres.
In central London and Manchester, early August weekday footfall rose by just one percentage point compared to the early July. While Leeds, Bristol and Nottingham all saw no change and in Birmingham city centre the number of workers has fallen this summer.
The persistently low numbers of workers going back into city centres, particularly in big cities, reinforces the concerns for the future of shops, cafes, restaurants and bars that depend on office workers for custom.
But, again, overall footfall in bigger cities is much weaker than in smaller places. Central London’s overall footfall increased by just five percentage points since early July, and Manchester and Leeds’ by 7 percentage points. On the other hand, footfall in small cities increased by 14 percentage points and medium-sized cities by 18 percentage points over the same period.
“But a question mark remains over whether the footfall increase that we have seen this summer can be sustained into the autumn without the good weather and Government incentive – particularly with so many people still working from home.
“Shops, restaurants and pubs face an uncertain future while office workers remain at home. So, in the absence of a big increase in people returning to the office, the Government must set out how it will support the people working in city centre retail and hospitality who could well find themselves out of a job by Christmas.”
Edinburgh and Lothians restaurants, pubs, cafes and other establishments that sell food for consumption on-premises are being urged to sign up to the UK Government’s ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ scheme.
Businesses who use the scheme will offer a 50% reduction, up to a maximum of £10 per person, to all diners who eat or drink-in throughout August.
The scheme is open to businesses across the UK and can be used all day, Monday to Wednesday in August.
Customers do not need a voucher as participating establishments will just remove the discount from their bill. Businesses simply reclaim the discounted amount through an online service, supported by HMRC.
The scheme is aimed at protecting jobs in the hospitality industry and is in addition to the reduction in VAT from 20% to 5% for tourism and hospitality businesses.
Businesses who sign up to the scheme will receive a window sticker and will be able to use promotional items such as posters and logos for social media.
Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, said:“During lockdown the hospitality industry has been one of the hardest industries due to necessary closures.
“This scheme can give the industry a real boost during August to help businesses get back on their feet again.
“The hospitality and catering industry supports a huge number of jobs in Edinburgh and the Lothians which rely on the sector doing well.
“I encourage businesses across Edinburgh and the Lothians sign up to this scheme to attract more custom at the beginning of the week throughout August.”
