Will you be eating out to help out?

[DelayRepay]

'Eat Out to Help Out' starts today, with a 50% discount (up to £10) on eat in food and non alcoholic drinks.

My question is, will you be taking advantage?

 

[Richard Scott]

Already booked for Wednesday.

 

[DelayRepay]

My answer is that I am looking forward to a pub lunch today - the first one since February! I hope it's not too busy but the pub is only around the corner so I'll get takeaway (and forgo the discount) if it is.

 

[birchesgreen]

It won't encourage me to eat out if i wasn't planning on anyway though if i am then i'll take advantage of the "free money" obviously.

 

[AdamWW]

It won't encourage me to eat out if i wasn't planning on anyway though if i am then i'll take advantage of the "free money" obviously.

No because I don't think it applies in Wales.

 

[Solent&Wessex]

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.

 

[Bletchleyite]

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.

As a single person you could create a support bubble with another household if there's one that would fit. You can then do anything with them as you count as one household (in self isolation terms too). Only one other household, though, you can't change it.

 

[Yew]

I've slowly been building a list of local independents to support, so hopefully I can work through the list

 

[baz962]

A story popped up on one of my timelines somewhere. I believe Mitchell and Butler group are going to do some good deals. I think it was around 50% off carvery / roasts and a drink.

 

[thejuggler]

Possibly. However having just used the Government website to get an idea of local restaurants that have registered it appears it only searches postcode areas adjacent to the one you enter, not on distance and it limits results.

 

[Scrotnig]

No.

1. I'm not eating out in what resembles a nuclear waste zone, it's not enjoyable.
2. I'm not eating out when I have to be treated as a toxic infectious dangerous object
3. I'm not prepared to submit to the possibility of an arbitrary 14 day prison sentence

I'm not doing ANYTHING involving hospitality, entertainment or shops AT ALL until this hysterical nonsense is over.

 

[J-2739]

Yeah, why not? Helps out the local economy with it as well.

Carvery's, here I come!

 

[DB]

No.

I have no patience with all the petty restrictions and am therefore avoiding all pubs and cafes while the restrictions are in place - yes, I know some are less trict than others, but I really can't be bothered to find out by trial and error who is doing what.

 

[Baxenden Bank]

It won't encourage me to eat out if i wasn't planning on anyway though if i am then i'll take advantage of the "free money" obviously.

I'll just cut and paste @birchesgreen
Rarely eat out in the formal 'sit down inside sense'. COVID has already removed a couple of regular fixed events this year which will not be replaced, even with a discount.

 

[OuterDistant]

No, I very rarely eat out and, as others have said, simply can't be bothered with endless variations of petty restrictions.

 

[GusB]

No.

1. I'm not eating out in what resembles a nuclear waste zone, it's not enjoyable.
2. I'm not eating out when I have to be treated as a toxic infectious dangerous object
3. I'm not prepared to submit to the possibility of an arbitrary 14 day prison sentence

I'm not doing ANYTHING involving hospitality, entertainment or shops AT ALL until this hysterical nonsense is over.

The staff of these establishments will no doubt be delighted that they don't have to deal with such a miseryguts

 

[DB]

The staff of these establishments will no doubt be delighted that they don't have to deal with such a miseryguts

Or perhaps they would prefer not to have government regulations making their businesses barely viable?

 

[GusB]

Or perhaps they would prefer not to have government regulations making their businesses barely viable?

The government regulations are there, like it or not. I'd personally like things to be back to the way they were pre-covid, and the sooner things return to normal the better, but I'm not going to throw my toys out of the pram and declare that I'm not playing because I can't have everything my own way.

Is it not better for businesses that people use them within the current restrictions than not at all?

 

[bramling]

'Eat Out to Help Out' starts today, with a 50% discount (up to £10) on eat in food and non alcoholic drinks.

My question is, will you be taking advantage?

Simple answer is no we won’t be taking advantage of the scheme. We haven’t been to a restaurant since they re-opened as we simply can’t be bothered with all the hassle, and a mere £10 off won’t influence that.

We have, however, been supporting a couple of our regular places with take-away business, and we’ve tended to bump up the order slightly to give them a bit of extra turnover even if it means we throw a bit away at the end.

What has affected our restaurant use most has been not going away on holiday this year. By this point in the year we’d normally have had 30-40 nights of UK holiday, which generally means a corresponding number of restaurant visits (even if some of those will be Wetherspoon’s!). So far this year it’s been a grand total of one night in Liverpool in January, and that’s, er, that. Getting back to a stage where we feel we can take a relaxing UK holiday without everywhere being mobbed with furlough is the biggest thing which would increase our restaurant use.

 

[Scrotnig]

The government regulations are there, like it or not. I'd personally like things to be back to the way they were pre-covid, and the sooner things return to normal the better, but I'm not going to throw my toys out of the pram and declare that I'm not playing because I can't have everything my own way.

Is it not better for businesses that people use them within the current restrictions than not at all?

Yes, if they can tolerate them.

I find miles of black and yellow tape, Perspex screens and everyone in masks to be stressful and anxiety inducing. I also cannot wear a mask myself.

If I want to eat out it’s because I want it to be an enjoyable experience. As things stand, for me, it would be anything but. So until things are back to normal I won’t be eating out. And if that’s “never”, then I’ll never eat out again. It’s that simple.

 

[GusB]

Yes, if they can tolerate them.

I find miles of black and yellow tape, Perspex screens and everyone in masks to be stressful and anxiety inducing. I also cannot wear a mask myself.

If I want to eat out it’s because I want it to be an enjoyable experience. As things stand, for me, it would be anything but. So until things are back to normal I won’t be eating out. And if that’s “never”, then I’ll never eat out again. It’s that simple.

Well in that case the only person preventing your enjoyment is you. A bit of yellow and black tape isn't going to put me off if it means I can do things that I wasn't able to do during lockdown. Most people I know are just happy to be able to get on with their lives and accept that there are some restrictions in place.

 

[Huntergreed]

Interestingly, Sturgeon at her briefing today asked us to consider if we really needed to go out to the pub/restaurant before doing so, stating that if there are more outbreaks like the one in the pub in Aberdeen, she’ll not hesitate to close them down again.

Seems to completely defeat the purpose of “eat out to help out”

 

[DB]

Well in that case the only person preventing your enjoyment is you. A bit of yellow and black tape isn't going to put me off if it means I can do things that I wasn't able to do during lockdown. Most people I know are just happy to be able to get on with their lives and accept that there are some restrictions in place.

What an empathetic approach!

 

[Skimpot flyer]

We were thinking of taking advantage of the scheme today, as our we haven’t been to our favourite Steakhouse since before lockdown.
On visiting their website to see if they are in the scheme, however, I see they are requiring full contact details. Whilst I get the need for contact-tracing, I don’t want the hassle, the contant reminder that this is the ‘new normal’ <sigh>. I’d much rather we just dine out spontaneously, at a place where the vibe is not to immediately make the customer feel ‘unclean’, even if they’re not in the scheme.

 

[6Gman]

I will be eating out in due course. I will use the £10 discount, and then donate the saving to the establishment (if that's legal, and I don't see how it can't be).

We get the meal we want at a price we are happy to pay. The venue gets an extra £10 ( up to £20 for both of us).

 

[mmh]

No because I don't think it applies in Wales.

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.)

 

[nlogax]

A toughie. Sit indoors, whinge and moan about things not being as free of yellow and black tape as I'd like them to be - or go outside, socialise, have a meal and do something that is fairly close to normal. Let me ponder that choice for a millisecond.

I've eaten out a few times since restaurants reopened. Supporting local businesses is one way we can all do our bit.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Interestingly, Sturgeon at her briefing today asked us to consider if we really needed to go out to the pub/restaurant before doing so, stating that if there are more outbreaks like the one in the pub in Aberdeen, she’ll not hesitate to close them down again.

Seems to completely defeat the purpose of “eat out to help out”

Interesting. That of course was heavily criticised when Bozza said it, because the effect of it is that those establishments lose trade but can't claim on business continuity insurance. She may well have condemned a number of smaller, less viable ones to collapse as a result.

Either they must be closed (nationally or locally) or they should be used as normal give or take proper "COVID secure" measures.

 

[AdamWW]

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.)

Yes - I just discovered that.

Might give it a go then.

 

[AdamWW]

Interesting. That of course was heavily criticised when Bozza said it, because the effect of it is that those establishments lose trade but can't claim on business continuity insurance. She may well have condemned a number of smaller, less viable ones to collapse as a result.

Either they must be closed (nationally or locally) or they should be used as normal give or take proper "COVID secure" measures.

Well I don't know about Scotland but in Wales there has been some messaging along the lines of "Just because you can shouldn't mean you take as an invitation to do so"