'Hats off to Rishi', say chefs thrilled by the first week of Eat Out To Help Out

Today marks the end of the first week of the Eat Out To Help Out initiative. The scheme aims to entice customers into restaurants, pubs and cafes by offering a 50 per cent discount on food, up to £10 per person, on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Initial signs suggest it has succeeded, with lengthy queues forming outside chains like Wagamama and Nando’s.

Over 72,000 establishments have enrolled, from small independents to high-end restaurants, high-street chains to global corporations. While they coincided with good weather (in parts) and fewer people abroad in a traditionally quiet month, signs from the first three days have encouraged many in hospitality. Reports suggest double, even triple, bookings and covers in certain spots, compared with the same days in July.

Quandoo, a restaurant reservations system, says Monday saw three times more reservations than the same day the previous week. Tuesday saw the same rise, while next week 73 per cent of current bookings are for Monday-Wednesday. The reservations site OpenTable also reports an increase in seated diners over the first two days.

In London, James Cochran’s Around the Cluck at 1251 took 40 covers on Tuesday; previously, due to social distancing measures, it was reaching around 20 covers a day. Cochran says spend was higher than usual on cocktails and sides, boosting overall spend.

Across the city on the Fulham Road, The Hunter’s Moon had “one of our busiest ever Monday lunchtimes.” On Tuesday, 18 tables were booked for lunch, compared with a single-digit average. “The numbers are really encouraging,” says owner-director Hubert Beatson-Hird. “We also found that as a result of the discount, people have actually been leaving bigger tips than usual, which is of course fantastic for our staff and a great morale boost.” Tipping platform TiPJAR also noticed a rise.

Pastificio Al Dente in London’s Fitzrovia has been “incredibly busy”, says Filippo Galenzi. While there has been confusion concerning the terms (that it’s not 50 per cent off the entire bill; that alcohol isn’t included), overall it’s been “a huge success”.

Chains are faring well, too. The struggling Carluccio’s has seen a 50 per cent uplift in bookings; Hard Rock Cafe’s Piccadilly branch saw almost 100 per cent increase in footfall; across Rick Stein’s group, covers are up 17 per cent, reaching 51 per cent in Winchester. Company director Charlie Stein said: “Monday to Wednesday looks like it’s going to be the new weekend for us in August.” Pizza Hut says sales are up 50 per cent in participating restaurants, while Young’s Pubs reports “a major uplift in bookings”.

In Scotland, Aberdeenshire’s Meldrum House has welcomed three times more diners than usual, while in Edinburgh Harajuku Kitchen was fully booked Monday to Wednesday, doubling its covers – good timing, considering the loss of income from the cancelled festivals. Wedgwood the Restaurant, which wasn’t opening on Mondays to Wednesdays, has decided to on Wednesdays, to participate in the scheme, considering many of the city’s restaurants are fully booked.

Pip Lacey, chef and co-owner of Hicce in King’s Cross, London, says bookings have “shot up”. This week she says they took 74 on Tuesday, “pretty punchy for a Tuesday night”. Bookings continued to rise (120 on Wednesday), and next week already looks good, suggesting it may not be a one-off. “It’s definitely the impact we wanted,” says Lacey.

Reservations for this coming weekend at Hicce are a slow, but the restaurant usually relies on last-minute bookings or walk-ins. As an extra incentive, Hicce is continuing the discount off its own back on Thursday and Friday lunchtimes: customers spending £20 on food get a £10 discount.

Will Bowlby of Kricket, with three London sites, one of which is yet to reopen, says there’s been a spike in bookings. “We did better numbers in both Brixton and White City,” he explains. “Looking ahead to opening the Soho branch next week, bookings on Tuesday and Wednesday are looking good. On the other side, there’s a slight drop in bookings for the rest of the week. Maybe it could be counterproductive. Time will tell.”

The sample size is small, but Bowlby notes alcohol sales, which represent a considerable chunk of many restaurants’ takings, are down. Many ordered less food, too. “There’s pros and cons, for sure,” says Bowlby, who remains positive. Could the Chancellor have spread the scheme across the week, perhaps a £5 discount every day? Bowlby isn’t sure, but insists the scheme “is a start. It’s aimed to help, so hopefully that’ll happen.”

James Robson, of Fallow in central London, is full of praise. “It’s been absolutely brilliant, hats off to Rishi.” Footfall is up 200 per cent, though drinks sales have been sluggish, partly because Monday to Wednesday aren’t usually drinking days. “The spend isn’t there, if I’m being honest, but it’s an economic thing, and we understand that.”

Yet Robson hopes it has given customers confidence. “Eighty per cent of our customers booked because of this. Without doubt, it isn’t a fluke,” says Robson, echoing many others: it wasn’t the weather, or finally being allowed out, or not going on holiday that brought people in, but the £10 discount.

While lauded, there are concerns over EOTHO, too. Some report weekends are down. Others point out that encouraging people into unhealthy chain restaurants contradicts the Government’s new drive against obesity. It has been criticised as a subsidy for large multinational companies that don’t necessarily need help. “The government is literally paying us to increase the infection rate as we head into a second wave,” noted one commentator on Twitter, because discounts only apply to eat-in.

Gemma Simmonite, founder of Gastrono-Me in Bury St Edmunds, says the scheme is beneficial for her restaurant and the public, but is concerned discounts drive down price expectations. “It’s very much our opinion that the discount culture the chains created is part of the reason for their demise,” says Simmonite. “When you devalue a product it causes irreparable damage – will the customer ever want to pay full price again?” But, with so many restaurants involved, and the short-term nature of the scheme, “we feel it won’t have any lasting damage.”

Lacey’s main qualm is whether Government can afford it. It planned to set aside £500m in reimbursements to restaurants; what if the scheme is too successful? “We’re going to have to pay for it in the years to come. Down the line, prices and tax will go up. But let’s live for now, and deal with the future in the future.”

It’s too early to tell how successful the scheme will be. Is the rise in bookings this week merely pangs of initial excitement? Could decreased weekend footfall undermine weekday rises? Will customers spend less, or more? Some chefs say diners are splashing out on expensive wines; others say alcohol sales are dwindling.

Nevertheless, for many the early signs are positive. Robson says EOTHO is “a little boost when we need a lot,” and hopes it might continue into September. “But in the grand scheme of things, it’s a very good idea.”