To wonder why not all restaurants have registered for "Eat out to Help out"

[daggered]

We're on holiday in a small beach resort and only about 4 local restaurants seem to have registered for the Government's "Eat Out to Help Out" scheme. They all have long queues. Back in my home suburb most but not all of the restaurants seem to have registered. It seems a no brainer to me so I'm wondering why some restaurants haven't bothered. Am I missing something?

[TheWindowDonkey]

Not just cash flow. A lot of pubs and restaurants have had to lay off staff or operate with lower staff numbers due to corona...taking on staff memebers for a month, after which they’ll have to be got rid of, just isnt practical or feasible for some. The government would have been better off supporting the establishments that needed it directly.

[FinnyStory]

From what I've seen locally here, businesses expect it to adversely affect their weekend sales, when people spend more on drink.

A holiday resort restaurant at this time of year is probably busy "enough" all week anyway. They don't necessarily want long queues to manage, especially in current circumstances.

[kerfuffling]

[quote Tobebythesea]@canigooutyet

The businesses get the money back from the government[/quote]
They will be businesses which run on a very tight cashflow on a day-to-day basis. They can't buy the ingredients and pay weekly wages if the week's takings are less than their costs.

[rosesandcashmere]

I agree they'd likely rather have less full paying customers Monday - weds than the cheapskates going for half price dinners. It's a ball ache

[canigooutyet]

Am I the only one wondering how much the government understand about businesses?

[Coffeeandbeans]

I’ve heard that the govt have been very quick reimbursing businesses for the furlough costs - this is according to a friend of mine who runs a large engineering company. So why wouldn’t the govt be equally as quick for the hospitality trade?

[NHSEA]

All the things people have mentioned above, plus the ones that think they are 'upmarket' won't want to bother with people taking up tables for £10 a head when they think they will fill their tables with people paying £40 plus

[amijustparanoidorjuststoned]

Some restaurants aren't physically big enough to allow sit-in diners to that extent. It wouldn't be worth the 50% reduction (to then wait ages for the other 50% minus VAT payment) whilst attempting to social distance.

Just a hunch - if you can afford to go on holiday, perhaps you could afford to help out a struggling business who can't justify being on the scheme?!

[canigooutyet]

@Coffeeandbeans

I’ve heard that the govt have been very quick reimbursing businesses for the furlough costs - this is according to a friend of mine who runs a large engineering company. So why wouldn’t the govt be equally as quick for the hospitality trade?

Many were still waiting at the end of May for the money to be paid out.
Many who applied for the loans were still waiting until May/June

Take your choice of media and have a look. The furlough like the school meal voucher took time for payments to be made.

Anyone who has had the pleasure of dealing with government knows when it comes to them paying, it takes time.

[FlamingoAndJohn]

@HeddaGarbled

The purpose of the scheme is to encourage customers on quiet days. If the businesses know they’ll be busy anyway, they don’t need it. Sensible, and public spirited, not to use the scheme when they don’t need to.

My local favourite cafe isn’t doing it.
As it is they are turning people away all day long. Their meals are only about £8 anyway so yes it is a saving but not a huge amount.

[viques]

Not all restaurants are ready to open yet. I've just had an email from the brasserie Blanc chain , which I love, to say they won't be opening their London venues until the end of September.

[SockYarn]

Government are saying they will pay claims within 5 working days. Restaurants have to claim each week - so log a claim tomorrow for this week, and you should have the money by next Wednesday. Nobody's waiting "months".

If restaurants can fill seats without offering the discount then nobody's forcing them to sign up. We've just had a lovely meal at our local Italian, was full on a tuesday evening which it probably wouldn't be ordinarily.

[CallmeAngelina]

We went out to a quite expensive water-front restaurant last night, which was (safely) busy.
We knew them to be doing the scheme but when our bill came, they hadn't deducted the discount and we had to specifically ask, whereupon they did. Not sure why that was.

[viques]

I did have lunch in a pub today , which was pretty full for a Tuesday considering it is somewhere that doesn't have a lot of houses nearby, veg burger, chips ,coleslaw and coffee . Just over a fiver. First meal I haven't cooked since March. Oh the joy.

[SockYarn]

You mean the thing that was announced earlier today or yesterday?

It started yesterday.

It was announced on 8th July. Businesses had since then to decide whether to register or not.

[canigooutyet]

It can also be used in work and school canteens, like schools can even afford this.

Can be used with other discounts (if I took advantage of a local Mon - Wed deal I could get about £40 of food for around £15 including tip!)

Can use with your Travel Lodge breakfast as long as you order your breakfast in the morning and pay then.

Can be used to get your coffee half price. Mmmm wonder how many will raise their standard price to cover this and I don't just mean coffee shops

[Jellycatspyjamas]

There’s also the additional costs of working out what to claim back from the government and submitting the claim - most folk don’t have money sitting to pay their accountants more for sorting it all out.

[FlamingoAndJohn]

It can also be used in work and school canteens, like schools can even afford this

Eh, schools in Scotland go back next week and England and Wales don’t go back until September. So no use for the majority of schools.

[HoneyBee03]

A restaurant near me signed up to it and have now announced that it won't be going ahead because they've been so busy. Apparently they're really booked up and constantly turning people away at the door, so I guess they're worried about keeping up with the social distancing if 50% off makes them even busier.

[canigooutyet]

@FlamingoAndJohn

It can also be used in work and school canteens, like schools can even afford this

Eh, schools in Scotland go back next week and England and Wales don’t go back until September. So no use for the majority of schools.

lol I know. Just listing some of the places it can be used.

Although with all the money schools have been promised and the rug pulled, cannot see many of them signing up for this.

[Giraffey1]

As well as the cash flow issue there is still the whole problem of whether establishments will get enough footfall to cover costs, never mind make a profit. They will have to be set up for SD inside their premises, have one way systems in place, generally be be COVID-compliant as it were. That isn’t cheap to start with. And if they are serving say 50 per cent fewer customers .....

[Wavey123]

It’s not really a no brainer. I can imagine it would be a massive faff to arrange and not straightforward, the less companies that do it the less we’ll be taxed in future years

[lifesalongsong]

Take your choice of media and have a look. The furlough like the school meal voucher took time for payments to be made

Where are you getting that information from, furlough money is paid within days of making a claim and employers can out the claim in before they pay the employees so the time between is minimal.

I don't know about school meal vouchers, you clearly don't know about the furlough payments.

[mimbleandlittlemy]

NHSEA - It’s not just low end restaurants taking part though. There are 45 Michelin starred restaurants taking part and all Rick Stein’s are doing it and lots of others that are higher end than Nando’s for example. You only get £10 off the bill but they obviously think it is worth it to encourage people back.

[NHSEA]

@amijustparanoidorjuststoned

Some restaurants aren't physically big enough to allow sit-in diners to that extent. It wouldn't be worth the 50% reduction (to then wait ages for the other 50% minus VAT payment) whilst attempting to social distance.

Just a hunch - if you can afford to go on holiday, perhaps you could afford to help out a struggling business who can't justify being on the scheme?!

Had to smile when I walked past the take away near us. I noticed they are on the list of participating restaurants. They have put a couple of tables in the waiting area!