Will you be eating out to help out?

[DelayRepay]

It should have included take away. It being "eat out" is a great example of how incompetent and out of touch they are.

Along with allowing fast food outlets to join, at the same time as launching a campaign against obesity...

 

[MontyMinerWA]

Along with allowing fast food outlets to join, at the same time as launching a campaign against obesity...

There's an old saying that comes to mind; everything in moderation.

 

[yorksrob]

I enjoyed my beanburger and chips for lunch at half price !

 

[J-2739]

I enjoyed my beanburger and chips for lunch at half price !

Beanburger? Urrrgh...

 

[yorksrob]

Beanburger? Urrrgh...

I love em. Plenty of protein !

 

[Smidster]

it just isn't for me.

How do you know?

To be honest I think you and I have similar mindsets on always taking the most pessimistic view of something and taking things to the absolute extreme but even I am going to try.

Ultimately, and unfortunately, this is going to be with us for a good while yet. We all need to try and find ways to get something out of life.

If you are happy then great but if not I would say give it a go - the worst that can happen is that you don't enjoy it

 

[Llanigraham]

Booked for a meal on Wednesday evening which will also be the first meeting of our classic car club since C19 struck, and then we are away in the caravan for the rest of the week so shall probably eat out one other evening.
And been to the pub both days over the weekend.

 

[Busaholic]

By coincidence, a friend who's been badgering me for a few months to go out to lunch (obviously not been possible these last few weeks anyway) texted me on Saturday suggesting today should be the day, and it was. Only a cafe really, so inexpensive in the first place, but I'd not been there before. She was paying the bill, didn't ask if they were taking part in the scheme, but they evidently were, bill very cheap. No evidence of any Covid measures other than perspex barriers between some of the tables. She paid in cash, no questions about our personal details, all in all a perfectly pleasant experience. I shall probably return the favour before the end of the month and may well pop in again for a non-discounted coffee on my own in the weeks ahead, particularly if my local Costa doesn't return, which seems probable.

 

[infobleep]

When you put a postcode into the site it returns addresses. However most of the addresses returned don't include a town name (post town). However in many but not all cases, it includes a county or in the case of Greater London, Greater London.

Obviously if its your local area you might know where it is but as you get to the edge of the 5 mile radius you may not..

I have reported this but whether they do any anything about it is another matter.

 

[Bletchleyite]

How do you know?

To be honest I think you and I have similar mindsets on always taking the most pessimistic view of something and taking things to the absolute extreme but even I am going to try.

Ultimately, and unfortunately, this is going to be with us for a good while yet. We all need to try and find ways to get something out of life.

If you are happy then great but if not I would say give it a go - the worst that can happen is that you don't enjoy it

FWIW, and I know it's slightly off for this thread, I've found that the more I've used establishments with COVID secure in place, and for that matter the more I've worn a mask, the less I've hated it. Only a bit less, but a bit like a new pair of glasses things like this take a short time to get used to them. Some people never will (I can't for example deal with contact lenses, I've tried a few times) but others might well do well just to give it a go if they can bring themselves to do so, and may find that while it's not great it's perhaps less awful than thought?

 

[infobleep]

It does. There's a search site for businesses that have signed up to it here: https://www.tax.service.gov.uk/eat-out-to-help-out/find-a-restaurant/
(which has told me that HMRC's address database for around here is terrible. Almost everywhere is in "Clwyd" and has no town.)

I noticed this and reported it.

HMRC do hold the town name in their address data so I don't know how this came to occur. It's shocking in my opinion, although I appricate they did need to do this in a hurry. I would like to know how it came to occur though.

I've reported the issue via the feedback option, so hopefully it will get fed back and dealt with. I'm not holding my breath though.

I have an interest in this as I work in address and mapping and I strive to get the addressing right

There is a new GeoSpatial Strategy that was launched by thr Government in April. All central government departments are meant to use the national register of addresses, the Ordnance Survey's AddressBase. Obviously it will take to implement this.

I do like the idea of being able to look up restaurants and I've found some I hadn't heard of. I may be tempted to go to them.

 

[yorkie]

I'm curious regarding those who voted "won't while the Covid Secure measures are in place"; if you think it is safe, and would like to eat out, then there really is no reason not to.

I can understand that some places have measures which some may find to be inconvenient and I totally get why people wish to avoid those, but 'shop around' (or ask others who have been!) and you will find some great places; many of which offer a better experience than normal. I've posted several experiences in the relevant thread.

 

[Crossover]

Currently reside in a restricted area so options are limited to our household, who aren't over keen on visiting hospitality venues at the moment.

I have visited one place locally (an independent) before the additional restrictions and thought they were doing an excellent job in the situation and it did feel kind of normal whilst clearly not being - they are participating in the offer so I’d like to utilise it if possible

 

[MattA7]

As long as the covid secure measures are in place I won’t be eating out anywhere

 

[bramling]

I'm curious regarding those who voted "won't while the Covid Secure measures are in place"; if you think it is safe, and would like to eat out, then there really is no reason not to.

I can understand that some places have measures which some may find to be inconvenient and I totally get why people wish to avoid those, but 'shop around' (or ask others who have been!) and you will find some great places; many of which offer a better experience than normal. I've posted several experiences in the relevant thread.

I can sort of answer that. For me and us, we don’t *need* to eat out when at home. Apart from an Indian once every week or two (for which we have our regular local venue) the only other time we’d eat out normally is very rarely if we fancy doing something different.

The times when we’d normally eat out beyond this are either if we meet up with friends or relatives, or most significantly when away on holiday. Neither of these are applicable much at the moment for one reason or another.

So with eating out being something we don’t normally do, it follows that it needs to be a *better* experience than normam to tempt us into doing so. With eating out still being quite a faff, and our main reasons for doing so not applying at present, quite simply £10 off isn’t sufficient a draw to outweigh the hassle. If anything it puts me off as it could mean the restaurant is busier. I can’t be bothered with booking, and don’t wish to turn up somewhere to find it full, which normally wouldn’t be an issue in something like a Monday night.

I’ve just invested in a new summerhouse for the garden complete with dining table in it, so this will even further deincentivise going to restaurants now I have my own new way of eating out!

We’re making an effort to patronise our regular places via takeaways though.

 

[MB162435]

I work for McDonald's so I think I already eat out enough as it is!

I like eating out but my family don't have any desire to return to doing so anytime soon, we all just find it easier eating at home while the restrictions are in place, such as reduced menus and seating

 

[GusB]

As long as the covid secure measures are in place I won’t be eating out anywhere

*sigh*

This is the attitude that infuriates me. Are you so completely incapable of making a minor adjustment to your way of life? This whole "back to the way it was or I'm not participating any more" attitude is petty, childish and is probably likely to do your local economy more harm than good. I don't like wearing a mask when I'm shopping - I hate it, in fact, but for the very short time I'm there I'll wear one. I don't have to wear one if I'm going to a local cafe or pub for a meal, or if I'm going out for a pint or five.

I'm not one for eating out much anyway, but if this discount scheme helps local eateries regain some business after months of lockdown, I'm all for it. Does it really matter if the person serving you is wearing a mask and/or a visor? As long as the food and service are as good as they were, I really don't care about the tape and the perspex screens.

The hospitality sector, particularly in rural areas like mine, was struggling anyway. I'm not going to put any more strain on the thin thread they're hanging from by shouting "waaaah, it's not the same any more, I'm not going there until it goes back to the way it was".

It strikes me that the people who are most vocal about local businesses being destroyed are the very same ones who are stamping their feet and crying about not being able to things the way they used to. Change happens - get over it.

 

[bramling]

*sigh*

This is the attitude that infuriates me. Are you so completely incapable of making a minor adjustment to your way of life? This whole "back to the way it was or I'm not participating any more" attitude is petty, childish and is probably likely to do your local economy more harm than good. I don't like wearing a mask when I'm shopping - I hate it, in fact, but for the very short time I'm there I'll wear one. I don't have to wear one if I'm going to a local cafe or pub for a meal, or if I'm going out for a pint or five.

I'm not one for eating out much anyway, but if this discount scheme helps local eateries regain some business after months of lockdown, I'm all for it. Does it really matter if the person serving you is wearing a mask and/or a visor? As long as the food and service are as good as they were, I really don't care about the tape and the perspex screens.

The hospitality sector, particularly in rural areas like mine, was struggling anyway. I'm not going to put any more strain on the thin thread they're hanging from by shouting "waaaah, it's not the same any more, I'm not going there until it goes back to the way it was".

It strikes me that the people who are most vocal about local businesses being destroyed are the very same ones who are stamping their feet and crying about not being able to things the way they used to. Change happens - get over it.

I think it’s more a case that many people are quite worn down by all this now. Things that used to be simple everyday tasks like going to the bank are now a bit of a battle, where at best one comes away feeling “thank goodness that wasn’t as traumatic as it could have been”. So why would people take the chance of subjecting themselves to a potential dose of more of the same? Seems a perfectly rational viewpoint to me.

There’s something else to add to the eat out scheme. For those people at work a meal out on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday evenings isn’t always viable, either coming at the end of a day at work, or before needing to be up for tomorrow. Once again Johnson’s government has managed to produce something that’s all laid on nicely for those with time on their hands, and to give the chance to save £10 of their not-hard-earned furlough money.

 

[GusB]

I think it’s more a case that many people are quite worn down by all this now. Things that used to be simple everyday tasks like going to the bank are now a bit of a battle, where at best one comes away feeling “thank goodness that wasn’t as traumatic as it could have been”. So why would people take the chance of subjecting themselves to a potential dose of more of the same? Seems a perfectly rational viewpoint to me.

There’s something else to add to the eat out scheme. For those people at work a meal out on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday evenings isn’t always viable, either coming at the end of a day at work, or before needing to be up for tomorrow. Once again Johnson’s government has managed to produce something that’s all laid on nicely for those with time on their hands, and to give the chance to save £10 of their not-hard-earned furlough money.

Really? As someone who has worked in retail and customer service jobs for most of my life, weekends off are fairly rare. "For those people at work" a meal out on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday isn't always viable. Yet again we have prejudice against people who work late and irregular hours to cater for those who do a nine-to-five, and dismiss them as having "time on their hands" when a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday is often the only time retail and hospitality workers get to let their hair down for an evening.

There's nothing to stop anyone who does a nine-to-five job going out for a meal on a Monday, or whatever day of the week. You don't have to be out late, you don't have to get bladdered. It's not difficult to get home in time to get a decent night's sleep and be up for work the next day.

 

[DelayRepay]

I can understand that some places have measures which some may find to be inconvenient and I totally get why people wish to avoid those, but 'shop around' (or ask others who have been!) and you will find some great places; many of which offer a better experience than normal. I've posted several experiences in the relevant thread.

I quite agree. The local pub near me that has a one way system that forces you to go out through a fire escape, walk around the outside of the building and re-enter through the front door to use the loo won't be getting any more custom from me until they re-think their arrangements.

But the other pub near me is pretty much like normal, apart from they've spaced the tables out, put a marquee up in the garden and are offering table service and app-ordering. I actually quite like table service so regard that as an improvement. But, you can still relax, enjoy your meal and drink and it's almost (not quite) like the olden days.

If people want to go out, have a look around on local Facebook sites. Some pubs seem to cater for people who want things as close to 'normal' as possible. Others seem to cater for people who want very visible (and, sometimes over the top) safety measures to provide reassurance. I guess there is a market for both and people just need to look for one that's aligned to their requirements (rather like you wouldn't go to a pub with lots of fruit machines and karaoke if you wanted a quite pint while you read the paper!)

 

[DelayRepay]

There’s something else to add to the eat out scheme. For those people at work a meal out on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday evenings isn’t always viable, either coming at the end of a day at work, or before needing to be up for tomorrow. Once again Johnson’s government has managed to produce something that’s all laid on nicely for those with time on their hands, and to give the chance to save £10 of their not-hard-earned furlough money.

I am at work, all be it from home, but I do a 'traditional' 9 - 5, Monday - Friday job. I have no problem going out for a meal between Monday - Wednesday after work. In fact 'before', I quite often used to go out on these days as places were quieter anyway and it was a good time to meet friends. The offer is available all day so can be used for breakfast and lunch too.

I guess if you want the meal to be part of a 'big night out' then you'd want to avoid weeknights. But I don't really think that's what it's intended for and I don't see why the time restrictions should prevent anyone who wants to from taking advantage.

 

[Freightmaster]

The hospitality sector, particularly in rural areas like mine, was struggling anyway. I'm not going to put any more strain on the thin thread they're hanging from by shouting "waaaah, it's not the same any more, I'm not going there until it goes back to the way it was".

In recent weeks on this forum, we have had, amongst other proclamations:

"I'm not going on a train again until social distancing/mask requirements are abolished"

"other than supermarkets, I'm not going into a shop again while masks are mandated"

and now, on this very thread:
"As long as the covid secure measures are in place I won’t be eating out anywhere"


I wonder what these people are going to do over the next twelve months apart from sitting at home muttering to themselves??

It strikes me that the people who are most vocal about local businesses being destroyed are the very same ones who are stamping their feet and crying about not being able to things the way they used to. Change happens - get over it.

Well said - the people on here having a tantrum about 'covid secure' measures are being extremely selfish/short-sighted; they don't seem to realise
that if everyone in the country were to insist on waiting until things get back to the 'old normal' before they go to a pub/high street shop, there won't
be any pubs/high street shops left for them to go to!

Why can't people see this???



MARK

 

[Jamiescott1]

Maybe at the end of the month. Was on holiday for 18 days so ate out 2 meals daily for 18 days (with no covid secure measures), so a bit sick of eating out.

Theres a Michelin star pub near me that used to be walk ins only, but now due to covid-19 they take bookings. They are also taking part so I may try them.

 

[fishquinn]

I wonder what these people are going to do over the next twelve months apart from sitting at home muttering to themselves??

Post on social media about how terrible eating out is at the moment without even trying it apparently.

As for me, happy to support businesses and the economy by eating out (with the benefit of decent food) - I've got my first proper holiday since last year later this month and by coincidence (booked before 50% off was thought of) it includes 6 eligible days so I'll happily take part.

 

[nlogax]

For whatever reason some folks here are absolutely determined to be negative and make the very worst of this. And that's ok as long as they understand widespread efforts to get back to a degree of normal life will go on in spite of their refusal to join in.

Pubs, restaurants, shops.. they all need our business especially now that full furlough payments are tapering off. I feel it's pretty much our civic duty to help them.

 

[geoffk]

I would love to Eat Out to Help Out.

Unfortunately I live in the Restricted Area in the North so can only really go with people I share a house with, so that is me and my cats.

I'm in the same position but don't the restrictions apply only to eating indoors? Surely a restaurant with an outdoor seating area is OK. Or find somewhere outside the restricted area.

 

[Scrotnig]

Or find somewhere outside the restricted area.

The law expressly forbids that as well.

 

[Scrotnig]

For whatever reason some folks here are absolutely determined to be negative and make the very worst of this. And that's ok as long as they understand widespread efforts to get back to a degree of normal life will go on in spite of their refusal to join in.

I'm all in favour of people getting on with life. Unfortunately, for me some of the restrictions are intolerable so I can't. I wouldn't dream of suggesting pubs shouldn't open because I'm not keen on the 'new normal' though.

Pubs, restaurants, shops.. they all need our business especially now that full furlough payments are tapering off. I feel it's pretty much our civic duty to help them.

I agree, but if I find it stressful and anxiety-inducing because of the 'new normal' then I'm not going to do it.

Heritage railways are a good example. Pretty much my major hobby, if not my only one. And they need help. But - masks. So, I physically can't. Not my fault I'm afraid.

 

[Smidster]

I'm all in favour of people getting on with life. Unfortunately, for me some of the restrictions are intolerable so I can't. I wouldn't dream of suggesting pubs shouldn't open because I'm not keen on the 'new normal' though.

I agree, but if I find it stressful and anxiety-inducing because of the 'new normal' then I'm not going to do it.

Heritage railways are a good example. Pretty much my major hobby, if not my only one. And they need help. But - masks. So, I physically can't. Not my fault I'm afraid.

Honestly I wish we could help but don't you think there comes a point where if you really enjoy something, whether that is going to a heritage railway or a Nandos, that you just have to "bite the bullet" and give it a go? I know that many Heritage Railways are running services where you don't need a mask as they are doing services where you have a compartment - have you looked into that at all?

None of this is comfortable but one of the things I have learned over the past few months is how much I have always taken for granted and frankly how much of life I have wasted and all of the experiences that I will never get to have because I didn't take look beyond my comfort zone.

We all hope that the "old normal", or a variant thereof, comes back in the not too distant future but realistically this is what we have for the next 6 months at least - Try to find what joy you can from where we are. It is OK to be unhappy about it and not think that the restrictions are any use but shutting yourself off from the world is rarely a good idea. Don't be like me - you will regret it down the line.

 

[nlogax]

We all hope that the "old normal", or a variant thereof, comes back in the not too distant future but realistically this is what we have for the next 6 months at least - Try to find what joy you can from where we are. It is OK to be unhappy about it and not think that the restrictions are any use but shutting yourself off from the world is rarely a good idea. Don't be like me - you will regret it down the line.

Well said. Related, I'm hoping this forum will tote a 'like' button one day