Thousands of people enjoyed meals out in North Wales during August, thanks to the ‘Eat Out To Help Out’ scheme.

The government scheme offered a 50% discount on menu items at many cafes, bars and restaurants on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays during August. The initiative was aimed at getting people out and supporting the economy after four months of lockdown.

Figures released by the government, by constituency, showed that 85 businesses registered for the scheme in Arfon, although the figures don’t include chains with more than 25 outlets, e.g. Costa Coffee, KFC and McDonalds, who also took part in the scheme.

53,000 meals were claimed in Arfon giving a total discount of £287,000 – an average discount of £5.42 per meal.

In Wales 2,957 outlets signed up to the scheme, with 2,307,000+ meals claimed. The total discount for Wales shown in these figures totals £13,056,000 with an average discount per meal of £5.66 .

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

“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.”

Secretary of State for Wales Simon Hart said: “This summer diners all over Wales have enjoyed more than two million discounted meals while protecting the jobs of thousands of people who work in our fantastic hospitality sector. The Eat Out to Help Out scheme has been hugely important in giving businesses and customers alike the confidence to get back to enjoying the best that Wales has to offer.

“It is just one part of the UK Government’s drive to get Wales’ economy moving again which has included supporting more than 500,000 jobs, providing business loans, launching the Kickstart scheme to get young people into work and a VAT cut for the tourism and hospitality sector.”