Eat Out To Help Out - different menu, inflated prices

[LoveLastMinutesAndLostEvenings]

DP and I don't eat out very often, but decided to take advantage of the Eat Out To Help Out discount to support our local pub yesterday. I'd looked at their menu online before because I can be a bit picky with food and decided on their burger, £13.50. When we got there and were seated they bought the menu over, and it was different to the one online. There was a burger but it was described differently - and £20, so £10 with the offer instead of the £6.75 I'd expected to pay. There was nothing on the menu that was on their online menu, so no prices to compare. I wouldn't have paid £20 for a burger pre-Covid!
I have to say it was a bloody lovely burger and I'm not complaining about a few extra £ for a business that is probably struggling right now. I'm just wondering if this is usual at the moment? What are your experiences of Eat Out To Help Out?

We noticed this in a local restaurant. Looked at the online menu before we booked and they have inflated the prices so even with the discount we would be paying the same as before, erm no thanks, we've booked elsewhere for tomorrow night.

I had wondered about this. Disgusting of the restaurant if they are doing this.

No, we haven't experienced this thankfully

Yes some real piss takers! My advice is report them. I really sympathise with hospitality businesses they have really suffered but a few are defrauding our taxes. Same with furlough fraud. Dear ex boss I will be reporting you to HMRC.

They are shooting themselves in the foot. It will make them more money in August but people wont be returning in September because they'll remember that the "real" price was £20 for a burger and wont want to pay that.
This scheme is, in part, free advertising for restaurantsamd they arent taking advantage of that

It’s quite common that pubs put up illustrative menus so the fact it was different isn’t odd.

The difference in price is a bit odd but was there a sensible reason? Ie how did the two burgers differ, were there different included sides etc.

SIL told me that a local restaurant to her used to to a £10 meal deal during the week and it is now £20!

That's very sneaky
I had dinner in an Italian last week and the menu was the same. We tipped according to what the bill would have been - don't forget about that!

We haven't found that here. I think it's going to impact them afterwards. Twenty pound for a burger is outrageous and it's making a mockery of the situation. I would say elsewhere next time.

Why didn't you query it at the time?

Not experienced that but only been to chain places. Local restaurants are fully booked for August, I wasn't quick enough! Queue for McDonald's yesterday was crazy, 30+ people

We’ve found that a couple of times!
Well to be fair I didn’t look at the menu before I go, I always expect there will be something that everyone will eat at a pub after all, but when we got there I’ve thought bloody hell I don’t remember paying those prices last time I was here...

This reminds me of going to restaurants with a taste card expecting to get 50% and then being handed the "taste card menu" which had everything doubled in price

I'm going somewhere else this evening so will be interesting to see if they are doing the same!

It will be interesting to see if, one the EOTHO scheme is over, the prices reduce again! Maybe there will be lots of 'sales' in restaurants

I expect they will go back to their "usual" menu Blobby!

We went to a chain place the other day. After we waited for a table they said we couldn’t use it on kids menus there. This annoyed me as I know we should be able to. We ordered additional starters for the whole family so we argued that our two childrens’ 50% should be used towards it. They said we couldn’t because we got the kids menu. We debated it all with them and magically they managed to take 50% off our kids meals (even though they had originally said the till wouldn’t let them). The bill still wasn’t how it should be and we weren’t impressed. We won’t go back there ever again and I’m very tempted to report them as the government guidance says it should be on all eligible menu items which kids menus are.

A restaurant local to me have whacked on a cover charge of £5 per person. They never had a cover charge pre COVID.

Wow what a disgrace of them. Me and dp ate at a chinese restaurant tonight for the first time and cost us £13 for loads of food and 3 drinks.

Just eaten out our first time since lockdown,same menu,same prices and the £10 per person max was deducted.

We went out last night and the restaurant hadn't inflated its prices, in fact they'd enhanced their weekday special offer by adding desserts so you could get three courses from a limited menu for £10 once the discount was applied.

Yes the prices have jumped up. We paid £70 for a Prezzo last week for 4 of us (2 adults, 2 teens). 3 courses and 2 alcoholic drinks (lager). It was a vastly reduced menu and a bargain at £70, but its terrifying to think that full price it would have been £140. We didn't begrudge it because they are probably trying to claw back from the massive losses over the last few months, but I certainly won't be dining there at £140 for a family meal.

It's not been my experience, and I've tried quite a variety of places, from a 'naice' hotel, to a Chinese Buffet style restaurant to a cafe in a park and a 'cheap and cheerful' local pub.

Omg. We have been out and I just looked online - we got charged more! Cheeky fuckers!

My advice is report them.

EBlyton Report them? For what?! 😂 They’re allowed to have different items on their menu at different prices. They’re also allowed to raise the prices of existing items if they so choose.

Your choice is not to eat there if you don’t like the menu and/or prices.