Restaurant goers enjoyed more than a million meals through the Eat Out to Help Out scheme in Kent.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has thanked the nation for protecting thousands of jobs after 100 million meals costing the government £522 million were ordered.

The scheme allowed restaurants to cut their customers' bills by 50% - with a cap of £10 per meal - then claim back the money from the government.

For the 1,259,000 meals ordered before August 27 in the county, the government footed a £7,087,000 bill. The average discount per meal was £6.

Canterbury had the highest number of claims with 150 restaurants taking 114,000 orders and claiming back £726,000.

Chatham and Aylesford saw just 21 restaurants take part in the scheme, with 11,000 meals costing the government £67,000.

The Chancellor said Eat Out to Help Out had kept 1.8 million people in work across Britain as the nation faced the economic impact of coronavirus.

Restaurant bookings have increased by an average of 53% on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays through August compared to last year, according to OpenTable. In July bookings were down by 54% across the UK.

The final day of the scheme on August 31 saw bookings up by 216% compared to last year. Despite the scheme being over, September 1 saw bookings rise by 2%, hopefully setting a trend for recovery through the rest of the year.

Restaurants still have until the end of September to claim the 50% government-funded discount applied to bills.

Jes Staley, Barclays Group CEO, said: “Eat Out to Help Out has undoubtedly had a positive impact – our data shows that restaurant spend grew by 34 per cent on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays in August compared to the same days in July.

"The scheme has given the industry a real boost, and will hopefully support the jobs of many hardworking restaurant and fast-food employees across the country. Consumer feedback was also very encouraging, with almost one in five planning to continue dining out more often to support the industry, and a similar number saying that they will return to restaurants that they would not have visited otherwise.”

Chancellor Rishi Sunak said: “From the get-go our mission has been to protect jobs and to do this we needed be creative, brave and try things that no government has ever done before.

“Today’s figures continue to show Eat Out to Help Out has been a success. I want to thank everyone, from restaurant owners to waiters, chefs and diners, for embracing it and helping drive our economic recovery.

“The scheme is just one part of our Plan for Jobs and we will continue to protect, support and create jobs to ensure we come back stronger as a nation.”

The Eat Out to Help Out scheme is part of Chancellor’s Plan for Jobs which also includes cutting VAT for tourism and hospitality by 15%, a £2 billion Kickstart Scheme, and an £8.8 billion investment in new infrastructure, decarbonisation and maintenance projects.

To read more about how the scheme has helped eateries across the county, click here.

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