Burnham-On-Sea MP James Heappey says he is pleased with the success of the Government’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme, with the Wells constituency seeing the second highest amount of discounted meals in Somerset.
More than 140,000 meals were discounted as a result of the scheme in the Wells constituency – with customers able to enjoy 50 per cent off food and soft drinks, when eating in, throughout August every Monday to Wednesday.
The total amount discounted in Wells adds up to £715,000, with an average price cut of close to £5 per meal.
Burnham’s MP James Heappey said: “I am so pleased to see the Eat Out to Help Out has been a huge success here. We have so many fantastic restaurants who have had such a hard time having to shut and so to see them safely reopen and welcome customers back in good numbers is very welcome indeed.”
“Having lost a lot of business from tourists, it was important local people had the opportunity to support businesses while saving money, too. I hope this has also given people the confidence to return to restaurants following lockdown.”
On average, each registered restaurant in Somerset claimed 883 discounted meals – 68 a day for the 13 eligible days.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak has hailed the success of the scheme, which was designed to support the hospitality industry – so crucial in Somerset and the wider South West – after a challenging few months because of coronavirus.
The scheme is credited with protecting 1.8 million jobs across the country, with restaurant bookings significantly up on the previous year.
Data from OpenTable shows bookings increased by an average of 52% on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays throughout the whole of August, compared to the same days in 2019.
The Chancellor said: “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.”
“These figures continue to show Eat Out to Help Out has been a success.”
“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.”
