Diners claim Sunak discounts on 35m meals

Meal voucher scheme cost £180m in first fortnight, with seated diners up 27pc over six days in operation

Britons claimed discounts on 35m meals in the first two weeks of August under the Government’s ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ meal voucher scheme, the Treasury said.

Over 85,000 restaurants are taking part in the scheme, with almost 50,000 meal claims at some restaurants. The full number may be higher, because some businesses have not yet claimed back money. 

Under the scheme, which is running between Mondays and Wednesdays this month, the Government is paying for up to half of the cost of meals at participating restaurants, to a maximum of £10 per person per meal.

The scheme cost £180m over its first two weeks according to the Treasury – an average of just over £5 a meal.

Rishi Sunak, the Chancellor, encouraged more businesses to sign up to the scheme, which is designed to help the ailing food and hospitality sector.

"To build back better we must protect as many jobs as possible, that is why I am urging all registered businesses to make the most of this by claiming back today," he said.

Data released by OpenTable showed seated diner numbers were up by an average 27pc compared to 2019 on the first two Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays of this month. 

The number of diners in the week to last Sunday was higher year-on-year for the first time since at least January. In London, seated diners remain well below pre-virus levels, with a massive footfall drop in the centre of the capital partially to blame.

The latest figures on the Government schemes to support businesses through Covid-19 showed the pace of spending has slowed to its lowest level since the start of the crisis.

New lending across the array of schemes was just over £1bn last week, bringing the overall total spent to £96bn.

The Government did not release updated cost figures from the Coronavirus Job retention Scheme – better known as the furlough scheme.

The CJRS and the Government’s Bounceback Loans scheme have proven to be the most expensive of its loan schemes, representing more than £70bn of the overall cost.

On Friday, the Office for National Statistics will release the latest statistics on public sector net borrowing. The Treasury borrowed £127.9bn between April and June to fund its extraordinary fiscal response to the pandemic, easily dwarfing even the worst periods of the financial crisis. Economists polled by Bloomberg expect a further £28.6bn of borrowing for July.

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