Helston restaurants and other establishments serving food for on-premises consumption have begun to sign up to the new government initiative aimed at "protecting jobs in the hospitality industry and encouraging people to safely return to dining out."

Restaurants, bars, cafes and other establishments who use the scheme will offer a 50% reduction, up to a maximum of £10 per person, to all diners who eat and/or drink-in throughout August.

Henleys Bar and Restaurant, who signed up to the scheme, told Nub News:

"We have registered for the scheme as we think it will encourage people who wouldn't normally think of dining with us to come in and give us a try.

"It is a great way of increasing spend per head which will help restaurants with the uphill struggle we are all facing after being closed for so long.

"For us, we are hoping it will increase our lunch trade which we find lacking over the summer months. We think it's a great initiative from the government who have truly supported hospitality over the pandemic."

Customers do not need a voucher as participating establishments will just remove the discount from their bill.

Businesses can reclaim the discounted amount through an online service.

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak said:

"Restaurants and other eligible establishments are now able to support jobs by signing up to the Eat Out to Help Out Scheme.

"HMRC's quick and easy registration page will soon have you on your way to welcoming back your customers with discounted dining on every Monday to Wednesday throughout August, with a simple process to reclaim these discounts back from the government each week."

You can find out more about the scheme here.