When Rishi Sunak launched his Eat out to Help out scheme, I had my doubts. Wouldn’t the state end up paying for an awful lot of meals people were going to eat anyway? As the scheme comes to an end, all such doubts have been swallowed — along with mountains of discounted grub. Eat out to Help out has not only rescued the restaurant sector, but also — crucially — normalised the act of going out. My Twitter feed is awash with grateful restaurateurs, many of whom plan to keep the discounts going out of their own pockets.

Source: The Times August 29, 2020 23:15 UTC