Eat Out to Help Out scheme successful in boosting food sales: studies
More Brits are expected to avail of the scheme before it ends.
The government’s Eat Out to Help Out (EOTHO) scheme has proven to be successful in boosting food sales, according to separate studies done by Fourth and CGA.
Fourth’s data, which has been aggregated from analysis of over 700 companies across the restaurant, pub and bar, and QSR sectors, reveals that sales were up 50% between Monday-Wednesday in the opening week of the EOTHO initiative (3-5 August) compared to the previous week.
Restaurants also enjoyed a 70% sales increase across this period, with pubs up 26% and QSR up 22%.
Data from the first week of the initiative did not indicate a drop off in trade between Thursday and Sunday, when compared with the week prior, which Fourth said is indicative that “the initiative is not cannibalising weekend trade.”
A slight drop off in sales for the second week of the EOTHO initiative was seen, with sales down collectively 13% between Monday-Wednesday (10-12 August), when compared with the opening week. QSR also experienced a 30% decrease in sales, pubs and bars a 20% fall, and restaurant sales were down 6%.
Meanwhile, CGA’s data, which came from its pool of 7,000 managed outlets, showed that on the first day of the initiative, 3 August, food sales were 100% up on the previous Monday (27 July), with similar surges of 95% and 106% on Tuesday and Wednesday (4 and 5 August).
CGA’s data also shows that following the first three days of the scheme, sales on Thursday were down 4% week-on-week. However, across the seven days to last Sunday (7 August), there was a 31% rise in food sales week-on-week.
The company’s Consumer Pulse survey reveals that the initiative has brought a wave of consumers back to restaurants. Just over a quarter (27%) of British adults had used the scheme by 11 August. 31% also said they had yet to use it but are likely to do so before the end of August.
