Just as we were all turning into Michelin star chefs (ahem), the news broke that restaurants were able to open again.

The announcement was met with mixed reviews, with many feeling like it was too early to re-open.

In a bid to encourage customers back to restaurants, Rishi Sunak announced on Wednesday a new “eat out to help out” scheme.

Starting on August 3rd, the scheme is set to offer 50% off meals when eating out between Monday and Wednesday. There's hope that the discount will increase the number of customers dining in. Allowing staff to resume full working hours, before the furlough scheme ends later this year.

An estimated 1.8M people in the UK work in pubs, cafes, and restaurants, so this announcement has come as a relief to many.

So what is the "Eat Out To Help Out" deal?

Restaurants will have to apply to take part in this scheme. They will then be able to offer customers a 50% discount, up to a max of £10 per person. The difference in price is then paid by the government, with refunds sent to restaurants up to 5 days later.

If you decide to eat out during this scheme, a £25 meal would now cost you £15 (because you’re capped to receive a max of £10 pp). A £20 meal would cost you £10, and a £15 meal would cost you £7.50. Not a bad price to eat some delicious restaurant food.

There’s also no limit to how often you can use this deal... which means there's nothing stopping you from claiming discounted meals for up to 13 days next month. (Except maybe, your waistband?)

What else have they said?

• Alcoholic drinks are not included in the deal, but soft drinks are
• The deal can be used on top of other discounts already in place by the restaurant
• The offer doesn’t work on takeaways, but you can take any leftovers home
• Tips are not included in the discount, so should be removed from any calculations
• The discount can be used on trains and in canteens, but not at weddings

Which restaurants are included in this scheme?

The Treasury has recently launched a new postcode checker which allows you to see all of the restaurants participating in this new scheme. So far the scheme has been picked up by both large chains and small independent restaurants. Here are some of the options currently listed:

Fast Food Favourites: 🍔

• Subway
• Five Guys
• Burger King
• KFC
• Pizza Hut
• McDonalds

Eat In Favourites: 🍲

• Wagamama
• Bills
• Gourmet Burger Kitchen
• Pizza Express
• Turtle Bay
• Nandos
• Franco Manca
• Honest Burger

Coffee Favourites: ☕️

• Starbucks
• Caffe Nero
• Costa Coffee
• Harris + Hoole

Fancy Favourites: 🍸

• Hawksmoor
• The Ivy
• German Gymnasium
• Aquavit
• Gymkhana

We really want to help boost the leisure and tourism industry, but will the deal be enough to encourage people to start eating out again? Let us know your thoughts on Twitter, Facebook, or through our Community pages.