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What Happened in the London Restaurant World Last Week

The end of Eat Out to Help Out left restaurants wondering: What’s next?

Diners sit outside at tables on a street in Clapham, London
Will this continue when discounts finish?
Peter Summers/Getty Images

As the government’s “Eat Out to Help Out” discount scheme heads into the final week, its offer and outdoor dining have continued to boost restaurants. At the same time, with no sign of a scheme extension — or meaningful rent support — from the government, restaurants are starting to extend it on their own dime. Maybe customers will keep coming, but some restaurateurs fear that artificially inflating supply of customers will only see a sharper fall in demand when the bubble bursts.


  • As with last week, sunshine, outdoor dining, and the “Eat Out to Help Out” discount continued to bring a boost in morale and numbers. Pretty much all three of those things are only going to last through August, and the scheme’s success is therefore limited by design: it can’t ignore the longer term problems restaurants and their workers face.


  • But as the number of ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ meals claimed rises to 64 million, others worry that the prevalence of discounting will inure diners to unsustainable pricing and further distance them from the reality of food and wage costs.


  • At the same time, restaurant closures continued to gather momentum, as more independents that held out as long as they could were left with little other choice.




As for where to eat...

Until next week, eat well and be safe.

BRAT

4 Redchurch Street, , England E1 6JL Visit Website

Polpo

41 Beak Street, , England W1F 9SB Visit Website

KFC

, , England N17 9FR 0345 753 2532 Visit Website

10 Greek Street

10 Greek Street, , England W1D 4DH 020 7734 4677 Visit Website

Darjeeling Express

2a Garrick Street, , England WC2E 9BH 020 7836 8888 Visit Website

Top Cuvée

177B Blackstock Road, , England N5 2LL 020 3294 1665 Visit Website