BRITS will get 50 per cent off their pub and restaurant bills from today with the new Eat Out to Help out scheme.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced the money-saving initiative in a bid to boost the struggling tourism industry and economy.
Eat Out To Help Out will run on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays every week until August 31.
The government will cover the other half of the bill, up to £10 per head, to boost the hospitality industry post-coronavirus lockdown.
The discount includes soft drinks and children’s meals too, although it won’t cover any booze ordered to go with your food.
It will see an £80 bill for a family of four reduced to just £40.
The incentive is part of a mini-Budget package to help the economy bounce back from the coronavirus lockdown.
A leisure scheme like this has never been tried before in the UK, with the Chancellor telling the Commons that the “moment is unique” and calls on policymakers to be “creative”.
Mr Sunak added: “So, to get customers back into restaurants, cafes and pubs, and protect the 1.8 million people who work in them, I can announce today that, for the month of August, we will give everyone in the country an Eat Out to Help Out discount.”
How will the scheme work and do I need a voucher?
The government will cover half of the cost of the meal out, up to £10 a head, including children.
The discount means that a meal out for two that costs £20 will be reduced to £10, but a £25 meal for two will be slashed to £15 because of the £10 cap per person.
There is no limit to the number of times you can use the discount, so in theory you can get half price meals on every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in August.
Businesses will need to register with the scheme on Gov.uk before being able to offer the discount, as well as be Food Standards Agency approved.