Eat Out to Help Out: Business 'booming' in Wakefield restaurants

Hundreds of restaurants in the Wakefield district have been taking advantage of a government scheme which offers discounts of 50 per cent.

The Eat Out to Help Out scheme offers diners a discount of £10 per person, and is designed to encourage people to return to restaurants after months of lockdown.

Eat Out to Help Out: All the restaurants in Wakefield and the Five Towns which are registered for the new 50% off scheme

More than 150 restaurants, pubs and cafes are taking part in the scheme, which runs from Monday to Wednesday each week in August.

Alex Lawlor, who runs the Yorkshire Deli on Northgate with husband, said the new deal had seen business “booming” in the wake of lockdown.

She said: “There’s been a really good response, it’s been great for us.

“It’s been hard work but now that we’re getting bookings it’s been really good. We know how many staff we need, we know what stock, it’s brilliant.

“I don’t think we thought it would be as popular as it is. Every single night of the deal it’s very busy.

“What the government has done in this scheme has been great for us.”

During lockdown, the Yorkshire Deli converted to a takeaway for the first time, and Alex says that this, paired with the new discount, has seen their business continue to grow.

She said: “We’d never done takeaway before, never considered it, but that went bonkers. People were dying for a nice meal after they’d been cooking for weeks on end.

“We’re getting regulars and new customers, and hopefully from this scheme we’ll get new customers.

“Even if they haven’t tried us before with a half price meal it’s worth a go.”

Visit wakefieldexpress.co.uk to find a full list of participating restaurants, pubs, cafes and more.