The research of 250 leaders across pubs, independent restaurants and QSR businesses, conducted by Lumina Intelligence, found that 24% of operators believe the scheme will likely encourage trade into autumn, with a further 9% saying that it will ‘definitely’ be a boost to business.
In contrast, 24% of leaders also said that they believed the scheme was unlikely to have any impact beyond this month, when the scheme ends, with 5% saying it would definitely not have any lasting impact.
Just over a third of operators (39%) were undecided as to whether it would lead to a sales boost beyond August.
The results come as a number of restaurant businesses have announced that they will offer their own similar form of EOHO discount beyond August amid fears that sales will decrease dramatically once the Government scheme comes to an end. Businesses include London-based Spanish restaurant group Brindisa, south west based Sri Lankan restaurant group The Coconut Tree and Gaucho and M restaurants.
Fine-dining Indian restaurant Benares Mayfair is also extending its Eat Out to Help Out offer throughout September, due to a significant increase in reservations in August, it says.
Confidence among hospitality leaders for the future of their businesses has also increased slightly, according to the latest poll data, with the number of hospitality operators asked who were ‘quite confident’, ‘confident’ or ‘very confident’ in the future of their business increasing from 71% to 73% week on week.
