Northampton restaurant owner values reopening over Eat Out to Help Out scheme returning

A Northampton restaurant owner would support the Eat Out to Help Out scheme returning but believes it is more important for them to reopen.

But Chronicle & Echo readers mostly opposed the call from Deliveroo and hundreds of other chains to bring back the government's discount offer from August over fears it contributed to the spread of coronavirus.

Stewart Wright, who owns Italian restaurant Nuovo on Abington Street, would take any help from the government and does not believe the deal was to blame.

"If the government gives me £10 for every time people came by I will take it simple as that really," he said.

"But I just want to be open so if they open with Eat Out to Help Out then I will take it with both hands but if just let us open I will that too as being open is the most important thing."

On Monday (February 15), Deliveroo and 330 restaurant partners asked the government to reintroduce the half price up to £10 scheme when restaurants are able to reopen for table service.

In a letter to the prime minister, the takeaway giant and bosses of places like itsu and Pizza Hut said many eateries were 'under immense financial pressure' while closed during the lockdown.

The return of Eat Out to Help Out would help to ease the burden of social distancing restrictions and encourage custom, they added.

The signatories also called for extensions to the VAT reduction, business rates relief and furlough as well as supporting them on rent, having staff vaccinated and roll-out rapid Covid-19 tests.

Mr Wright said: "We've got no income so if you own a business you've got to pay yourself with money in the bank which never gets topped up and you're sitting on your hands waiting for an opportunity to work again.

"There are people much worse off than we are but that's the situation we're in so we will wait and watch the pennies - we're just itching to get open."

Most people on the Chron's Facebook post about Deliveroo's letter were not in favour as it could cause a rise in infections, which Mr Wright disagrees with.

The restaurateur pointed to all of the social distancing measures they had in place such as sticking to one household per table, masks, spaced out groups and more.

However, research from the University of Warwick which was released in October suggested that the scheme caused a 'significant' increase in new coronavirus infections.

According to the study, a sharp increase in Covid-19 infection clusters appeared around a week after the scheme began.

But some on Facebook did support the return of Eat Out to Help Out, with one person half-jokingly suggesting a 'Eat Out to Drink Out' scheme.