With the Eat Out to Help Out scheme ended, the Federation of Small Businesses is calling on the Government to continue and extend the initiative to further help thousands of small food and drink businesses right across the country.
Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) National Chair Mike Cherry said: “The Eat Out to Help Out scheme has been an overwhelming success in getting people back on their high streets and in their town centres. We now need to see it extended to continue the critical support that it is providing for small firms as we enter a period of economic make or break.
“Over the past few weeks, the scheme has been hugely welcomed by small businesses and their customers alike. A nationwide one-month extension would go some way to helping many firms which are still only just about managing in this time of crisis.
“More than 35 million meals have been cooked and dished out across almost 50,000 restaurants and cafés who have been able to reap the rewards of this great initiative but as we enter September with schools reopening and more people going back to their places of work there are still strong merits to continuing this for one more month.
Jim Cunliffe, Area Leader for Sussex added: “Additional support is still needed for certain groups in the leisure sector, especially pubs. We need to see these community hubs fully brought into the Eat Out to Help Out fold, particularly as they have been excluded from the recent VAT cut for food.
“Beyond September and as we head into the winter and New Year, Sussex businesses in the visitor, hospitality and catering sector will need all the help they can get from their local community. The Government needs to be conscious of the fact that the Eat Out to Help Out scheme is one that genuinely works in helping to get people out and spending with small businesses. We need to continue it.”
FSB is urging everyone to show support for their favourite small firms by shopping and eating local. “We must do all we can to safeguard the futures of the small firms that make up 99% of our small business community. They will be pivotal to our recovery from this recession,.” said Jim Cunliffe.
