Eat Out to Help Out scheme launches today

Diners across Orkney will see their restaurant bills slashed by as much as 50 per cent as the UK Government’s “Eat Out to Help Out” scheme launches today.

Anyone visiting a participating restaurant, café or pub on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays throughout August will receive the half price discount — keeping more money in hardworking families’ pockets and giving a vital boost to the hospitality sector.

You can use the online restaurant finder to search for participating outlets using a postcode. Alternatively, there is information on the Kirkwall Bid and Beyond Facebook page, or check with your favourite restaurant, café or pub directly.

The scheme applies to all food and non-alcoholic drinks, with a maximum discount per person of £10.

The scheme is designed to help protect the jobs of the hospitality industry’s 1.8 million employees by encouraging people to safely return to their local restaurants, cafés and pubs where social-distancing rules allow.

Around 80 per cent of hospitality firms stopped trading in April, with 1.4 million workers furloughed, the highest of any sector.