The new data follows figures announced by the Government last week which revealed that a total of 130,000 claims were received for the Scheme equating to a cost of £522m for the Government, with further claims still to be made.
However, with the scheme directly contributing £250m in additional revenue for the Government, as well as boosting consumer confidence to go back and enjoy the hospitality sector going forwards, the scheme has already delivered a significant return.
Kate Nicholls, Chief Executive of UKHospitality, said: “Eat Out to Help Out was a shot in the arm for consumer confidence in eating and drinking out of home, right across the country. It gave businesses the opportunity to showcase the investment they had made to keep customers safe while also making them feel welcome.
“As we approach winter we need to ensure the right support is in place to stimulate a more sustained demand. A significant starting point would be to extend the VAT cut, ensuring the business rates holiday is continued next year and getting more of the UK economy back on its feet, including those businesses that remain closed.”
According to data from the trade associations, including the British Beer & Pub Association and the British Institute of Innkeeping, the scheme enabled 200,000 staff in the pub and hospitality sector to come out of furlough early to facilitate the increase in trade generated by the initiative.
This alone is estimated to have saved the Government almost £150m in furlough costs.
VAT generated on additional food and soft drink sales from the Scheme generated £30 million for the Treasury and additional sales of alcoholic drinks that accompanied the meals was estimated to have boosted duty and VAT revenues by a further £65 million.
The trade bodies said the Eat Out to Help Out Scheme had shown a significant return on investment for the Government, whilst also helping to kick start the long road to recovery of the hospitality sector and the economy as a whole as it returns from lockdown.
They said further Government investment in the sector was still needed though to get it through the autumn months and to help ensure a full recovery into the New Year.
They called for further Government investment in the sector to boost growth by extending the reduction on VAT rates, reforming Business Rates and cutting beer duty ahead of the next Budget and upcoming Government reviews into Business Rates and Alcohol Duty.