Bucks business extends Eat Out discount
Oakman Inns say it helped give people the confidence to return to restaurants and pubs
Several Buckinghamshire businesses are extending the Eat Out to Help Out scheme themselves.
Oakman Inns, who own several pubs and restaurant venues across Buckinghamshire, have announced they are going to continue the discount scheme.
Eat Out to Help out was brought in to run Monday-Wednesday through August, giving customers 50% off when they ate in a venue up to £10 per person.
Following its success at bringing people back, the pub chain are going to bring it through to September themselves.
Dermot King, CEO of the group, says it really helped to bring customers back:
"It was a very apprehensive time for us, because we were really worried whether our customers would have the confidence to come back to us and enjoy a meal out.
"Although we started out fairly well as soon as the scheme was announced we saw a dramatic increase.
"What eat out to help out has done is give people the confidence to come out."
Dermot says its important to note that during summer holidays people may have more option to go out.
But as people move closer to their normal way of working, its important to keep that confidence.
Oakman Inn helped lead the way in social distancing measures for hospitality back in May, when they released plans for their venues.
Dermot says:
"People want to come out and begin to enjoy living again rather than being locked up for 3 months and just existing.
"In the end people are social animals and hospitality is the way we enjoy others company.
"I think it really important that as businesses like ours continue going forward we maintain the confidence from consumers in understanding that we are supporting our local suppliers for the benefit of our local customers.
"We want our pubs and restaurants to go back to being what they were in the beginning, the heart of the community. That is the important thing that we need to get back to."
Oakman Inns' Safe Pub Concept - May 2020 (4)
However, King is still urging caution and looking for further support from Chancellor Rishi Sunak.
King explained:
"It has been a very encouraging start, but the road to recovery is going to be a very long one and it is going to take much more than a few months of offers to get the hospitality sector back to where it was before lockdown.
"We urgently need a review of the fiscal disparity between supermarkets and the hospitality sector with a specific focus on VAT. We would like to see 5% VAT extended past the January deadline but extended to include all processed foods, such as ready meals, sandwiches, pasties etc - money which could be pumped straight back into healthier school meals, giving every kid a chance to have a better start in life.
"We also need to have a root and branch examination of the entire business rates system which provides a fairer and more coherent tax, and we would further urge the Chancellor to scrap employers' National Insurance contributions on all employees who earn under £20,000. This would help create jobs at a time when people all over the country are losing theirs. The current system effectively taxes job creation and we must bring an end to that."