Deliveroo launches 'Eat In to Help Out' discount as government scheme ends

27 August 2020, 10:19

Deliveroo&squot;s discount will encourage customers to "eat in to help out" — Deliveroo's discount will encourage customers to "eat in to help out". Picture: PA

By Rachael Kennedy

Deliveroo is taking inspiration from the government's Eat Out to Help Out scheme by offering customers a discount on orders next month.

For the first three days of each week in September, the delivery giant will be offering £5 off orders of £20 or more to encourage customers to "eat in to help out".

The discount will be eligible for the first 100,000 orders at small restaurants every week, but will not include national chains, unless they opt in to pay for themselves.

Customers will be given a code to apply the discount on the estimated 16,000 restaurants covered.

It comes as a followup to the government's restaurant scheme - which covers half the value of a meal of up to £10, and which ends next week.

Under this initiative, more than 64 million meals were eaten in the first three weeks of August, according to new data released on Tuesday, prompting calls for it to be extended for another month.

Deliveroo, in the meantime, said it was "passionate about supporting local restaurants" with its own scheme, and wanted to see the industry flourish again after the coronavirus pandemic.

Company boss Will Shu said: "Our restaurant partners play a vital role in our economy, just as they do people's everyday lives, bringing people the food they love.

"We know they have been hit hard recently, and we hope Our Eat IN to Help Out scheme can play a part in helping their businesses through this difficult period."

Chancellor Rishi Sunak said: "This has been an incredibly difficult time for the hospitality sector, both during the lockdown and emerging from it.

"Thousands of restaurants and cafes forced to close during lockdown were thankfully able to continue trading in some way using delivery services such as Deliveroo."