Hundreds of restaurants call for the return of Eat Out to Help Out

Some restaurants are calling for a return of Eat Out to Help Out when lockdown ends.

In an open letter to Boris Johnson, signed by 330 restaurant partners and led by Deliveroo’s founding father, Will Shu, restaurant operators are calling for the return of the discount scheme.

Shu also calls for an extension of VAT and business rates relief.

He warned that if further support isn’t forthcoming viable businesses will fail just as the ‘light at the end of the tunnel is becoming clearer’.

Deliveroo’s letter represents more than 1,400 restaurants calling for an extension to the furlough scheme and for food industry workers to be included in the second phase of the vaccine roll-out.

More than 100 million meals were claimed last August as part of the scheme that required the government to make up the difference.

Shu said: “Deliveroo is committed to supporting our amazing restaurant partners through the pandemic.

“Restaurants are at the heart of our high streets and local communities and we want to play our part to help them reopen their doors when the economy opens up again.

“That is why we are calling on the government to implement this package of measures, which will be an important lifeline for small independents and high street family favourites.”

Bosses of Burger King, Pizza Express and Fuller’s are among more than 160 hospitality chiefs who have called on the Chancellor to extend the VAT cut by another year in a separate call to action.

UKHospitality coordinated the letter that proposes the VAT reduction be passed onto alcohol sales, leisure activities and weddings. 

The letter said: “Should we be allowed to reopen in the run up to Easter, it could also help us avoid having to pass on substantial price rises to customers in early April as a result of returning to a 20% rate, just prior to the Easter trading weekend.”

Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UKHospitality, said: “We are hopeful that, in the coming weeks and months, we can begin to welcome customers back and we know that people will be eager to socialise with their friends and families safely in our venues.

“That means we need to start laying the groundwork now.

“We need to make sure that the hospitality sector is in the best possible position to help rebuild as we done in the past.”

The talk of returning the scheme has caused a divide among social media users.

One wrote on Twitter: “Eat Out To Help Out was linked to increased deaths and part [sic] of why we locked down before Christmas. What sense is there in trying it again so prematurely?”

In response to the governments ‘Look him in the eyes’ campaign, a second wrote: “Look him in the eyes and say “Eat out to help out”.”

While a third added: “I loved Eat Out To Help Out, we went to restaurants we couldn’t usually afford to go to”.

What do you think?