Extend ‘Eat Out To Help Out’, say chefs
The recent closure of the Frankie and Benny’s outlet at Sprucefield Park near Lisburn was a stark reminder of the ongoing pandemic’s looming potential for economic hardship.
The loss of the restaurant, which opened its doors in 2011, is part of a large-scale cull by its owners, The Restaurant Group, which has said that it will close up to 90 of its eateries.
It’s against this backdrop that some prominent voices in Northern Ireland’s restaurant trade have begun to call for an extension of the government’s Eat Out To Help Out scheme. More than 1500 restaurants in Northern Ireland are understood to have signed up for the promotion which gives diners up to £10 off their bill on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday evenings in August.
Speaking to LCN yesterday (Tuesday), chef Niall McKenna, proprietor of James Street and Hadski’s in Belfast, said that an extension of the scheme would be welcome. Eat Out To Help Out had provided a ‘very welcome and much needed boost’ to hundreds of restaurants in the city centre, he added.
‘The scheme really has created an offer that customers want to avail of and, since signing up, we’ve seen a surge in bookings and enquiries for the month of August which is certainly encouraging as we, and the wider hospitality industry, now face the challenge of recovery after a prolonged period of closure,’ added Niall. ‘It’s a super deal and not just good for restaurants but all our local suppliers who we are able to buy from.’
Both James Street and Hadski’s re-opened last month and Niall said that the scheme had offered a great opportunity for locals to reacquaint themselves with the city.
‘I hope to see it continue into the autumn,’ he added.
At Shed Bistro on the Ormeau Road in Belfast, chef and proprietor, Johnny Taylor also called for the scheme to be extended. He will be extending his opening hours for lunches next week and has been able to ‘pretty much’ bring all his staff back full-time.
Despite having to reduce his capacity from 50 to 30 covers, his turnover last week was on a par with pre-Covid levels:
‘We have 110 booked for tomorrow (Wednesday) and 90-something today and yesterday, it’s amazing,’ he said.
Pointing out that increased business also meant more support for suppliers and delivery drivers, Johnny did admit to concerns around what was likely to happen once the scheme had ended:
‘If we go in the opposite direction, if everyone goes nuts in August and then they don’t come out next month, how will that affect trade?’
And Tony O’Neill, who owns Buba and Coppi restaurants in Belfast along with his wife, Andrea, recently said that he would also welcome a continuation of the eating out promotion:
‘It has been a brilliant incentive to get confidence back and get people out, but I do expect September and October to be hard months for the restaurant businesses,’ he said recently.
Unfortunately, however, it is understood that although more than 10 million people in the UK used Eat Out To Help Out in its first week, there are no plans as yet for an extension of the scheme beyond its August 31 cut-off.
