Our new data shows that the majority (63%) of the British public think that the government’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme has been a success.
There are some (8%) who think that on the whole, the scheme has been a failure
The Eat Out to Help out scheme provided a little bit of light in a dark time. Brits praised Chancellor Rishi Sunak for his efforts in getting the nation back doing what it does best – and it looks like most of the country would have voted to keep it going.
The scheme, which ran throughout August from Monday to Wednesday, drew to a close on 31st August. Two thirds (64%) say they would have liked to have seen the scheme extended beyond that date.
Some restaurants have made the decision to continue running the discount scheme despite the government putting a halt on subsidising £10 per head. This shows that restaurants have found the scheme beneficial in drawing in custom throughout the tense period – in fact, our data shows that Brits think restaurant owners are the most likely to have benefited from the scheme (35%) by encouraging custom.
The general public are also thought to have benefited from the scheme by slashing the cost of dining out (25%), followed by the government who have used it as an opportunity to stimulate the economy (13%). Some (16%) think that all parties have benefited equally from the scheme.
There are some (8%) who think that on the whole, the scheme has been a failure – with 18% saying they think it was right to end on the 31st August.
Praised though it was, at a cost of around £400 million to the taxpayer for the month of August alone, the scheme had to draw to a close. It will be interesting to see how many restaurants continue to offer discounted prices on certain days as a result of the huge success that the scheme has had on their businesses so far.