Eat Out to Help Out: The restaurants ditching the £10 cap and offering even bigger discounts

The government’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme has now officially launched, with Brits being encouraged to dine out at restaurants and receive a discount throughout August.

The UK government started the initiative in a bid to kickstart the economy after the coronavirus lockdown.

Diners will be able to get a 50% discount, up to the value of £10 per head, per meal at restaurants enrolled in the scheme from Monday to Wednesday each week in August.

But some restaurants are going above and beyond for their customers and are offering even bigger discounts to those willing to venture out for a post-lockdown meal.

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Burger King

Burger lovers will rejoice at this hack from the fast-food chain, which allows you to pick up its flagship Whopper burger for just £1 as opposed to £4.49.

In order to get the deal, you have to be signed up to (and order on) the app. The app discount means you can get the Whopper for £1.99 from Monday to Wednesday.

This, combined with the government’s scheme, means you can get your hands on the famous burger for just £1.

This offer will run for the first two weeks of August and will be replaced with a new, but similar, discount in the latter half of the month.

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Dishoom

City-dwellers who fancy a discounted meal at one of the most sought-after Indian restaurants will be pleased to hear that there’s no cap on its half-price offering.

From Monday to Wednesday, the Bombay-style restaurant will offer 50% off on all food and soft drinks no matter what the price of the bill.

The offer is available at all Dishoom locations, including Kensington, King’s Cross, Carnaby and Shoreditch in London, as well as at its Manchester, Edinburgh and Birmingham restaurants.

Famed for its queues (it usually has a no bookings policy) the group is now allowing diners to book their tables, too. No queues and half price food? We’re sold.

Krispy Kreme

Krispy Kreme’s ‘doughnut dozen’ boxes are available for half price throughout August even though they’re worth £10.45 each.

If you were swerving Krispy Kreme assuming that the delicious dozen boxes wouldn’t be available as part of the deal, it’s time to circle back get your hands on the saving.

It’s worth noting that not all Krispy Kreme outlets are taking part in the deal, though.

An up-to-date list of all participating stores can be found on the website.

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Hawksmoor

The high-end steak restaurant with locations in London, Edinburgh and Manchester is boasting “the best steak and chips in Britain” for £10 during August.

The restaurant group has lowered its price of steak and chips from £30 to £20 in order to make the offer worthwhile for diners.

It has reported receiving 5,500 bookings in six hours since releasing its offer, so steak lovers will need to get in there quickly to make the most of the Monday to Wednesday discount.

Stonegate Pubs

Stonegate Pubs account for more than 700 pubs around the country and has created its own version of the Eat Out to Help Out scheme, which started two weeks early in mid-July.

Diners can get 50% off their meals, tea and coffee with no £10 per person cap from Monday to Wednesday.

Customers have been taking advantage of the offer for two weeks now and can order via an app to cut down on face-to-face contact when dining out.

Costa

Coffee connoisseurs will be able to pick up a filter coffee on the go for as little as 32p (instead of £1) during August.

If you are in the market for something a bit fancier, a £2.70 flat white will now cost £1.06 on the selected days – and you would be right in noticing that these discounts are above the 50% Eat Out to Help Out ones on offer.

The bigger discounts are available to everybody willing to bring in their own reusable cup.

Can you use vouchers and discount cards with the scheme?

One of the biggest questions asked about the scheme pertains to other discount cards and vouchers and if they could be used in conjunction with the scheme.

The answer is yes, they can be.

Any discounts that the restaurants are already offering can be used in conjunction with the offer, the press secretary to the financial secretary to the Treasury, Daniel Lapedus, has confirmed.

A full list of all restaurants, pubs, bars and cafes taking part on the scheme can be found here.