Ross-shire diners take advantage of Eat Out to Help Out Scheme
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DINERS in the Ross, Skye and Lochaber constituency saved £565,000 by taking advantage of the government's Eat Out to Help Out Scheme.
Some 93,000 discounted meals were served at 186 participating restaurants in the constituency by the time the scheme ended on August 31, statistics shared this week reveal.
Throughout the Highland Council area as a whole, diners saved more than £2 million by taking advantage of discounts on meals and non-alcoholic drinks offered from Mondays to Wednesdays to help the hospitality sector recover after lockdown.
More than 6.3 million meals were claimed for in Scotland, out of more than 100 million UK-wide.
Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said the scheme had been a roaring success, helping protect 1.8 million jobs in the hospitality sector.
"I want to say thank you to everyone who has supported the scheme – as well as the staff who made it possible," he added.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak also thanked businesses and the public for supporting the scheme.
“From the get-go our mission has been to protect jobs, and to do this we needed to be creative, brave and try things that no government has ever done before," he said.
“I want to thank everyone, from restaurant owners to waiters, chefs and diners, for embracing it and helping drive our economic recovery.
“The scheme is just one part of our Plan for Jobs and we will continue to protect, support and create jobs to ensure we come back stronger as a nation.”
According to OpenTable data, restaurant bookings in the UK increased by an average of 53 per cent on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays throughout the whole of August, compared to the same days in 2019.
On August 31, the final day of the scheme, bookings were up 216 per cent compared to the equivalent day last year.
