There is no doubt that the government’s ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ scheme comes with the best intentions. That, along with the VAT reduction, is designed to kickstart a sector in desperate need of help. Hospitality is on its arse. It’s the first place we were told not to go to, it’s the place we are now told we should visit with extreme caution. It’s the place that has all the stigma attached to it, even when it’s been okay to stand in supermarkets for the last four months, picking up and putting back down the same products. And this is without those who work within the industry generally having less furlough pay due to a deeply flawed TRONC system. But for all its good intentions there is little denying the scheme has more benefit to the chains with deep pockets and multiple locations across the breadth of the land. Already we are seeing the likes of Wetherspoons and McDonalds passing on a percentage of the VAT saving to the customer, when it’s designed to reduce costs. They have an unfair advantage. Look to the press and it’s the same chain names who are being lauded for joining the scheme; maybe because it’s lazy journalism, maybe because they hold more leverage. The independents of the West Midlands might as well not exist in the eyes of some local press.
They do exist. And they need your help. Make the most of the Monday to Wednesday offer of 50% off for your food and soft drinks to a maximum value of £10 per person. Don’t make Wednesday the new Saturday; make it another Saturday. Use this scheme to try new places, to support the fine independents we have and to show them you care. Below is a regularly updated list of independent businesses who are using the scheme, with not a chain in sight.
Craft. Wednesday only
Purecraft Bar and Kitchen. Tuesday-Wednesday
Harborne Kitchen. Tuesday – Wednesday.
Chakana. Wednesday only
Warwick Street Kitchen. Monday – Wednesday
Saint Kitchen. Monday – Wednesday
Little Blackwood. Wednesday only.
Pulperia. Wednesday only.
Opheem. Wednesday only.
Plough Harborne. Monday – Wednesday
Laghi’s Deli. Monday – Wednesday
Otto’s. Wednesday only.
Indian Streatery. Monday – Wednesday
1000 Trades. Tuesday – Wednesday.
Arch 13. Monday – Wednesday
Kuula Poke. Monday – Wednesday
Sabai Sabai. Locations vary for days
Adams. Tuesday and Wednesday
The Highfield. Monday – Wednesday
Damascena. Monday – Wednesday
Tiger Bites Pig. Wednesday only
Cherry Reds. Wednesday only
The Old Crown. Tuesday – Wednesday
The Wild Rabbit. Wednesday only.
Umami. Wednesday only.
Chung Ying. Monday – Wednesday
Cucina Rustica. Wednesday only
Pasta di Piazza. Wednesday only
Zen Metro. Monday – Wednesday
Loft Kitchen. Tuesday – Wednesday
Pinchuan. Monday – Wednesday
Topokki. Monday – Wednesday
Hot 7. Monday – Wednesday
Pepper Chef. Monday – Wednesday
Xiong Qi Hot Pot. Monday – Wednesday
Takumi. Monday – Wednesday
Ming Moon. Monday – Wednesday
We Shuang. Monday – Wednesday
Quarter Horse. Tuesday – Wednesday
No 1 Chinese Cafe. Monday – Wednesday
Ruga Bistro. Tuesday – Wednesday
Butlers Arms. Monday – Wednesday
The Dark Horse. Monday – Wednesday
Zindiya. Wednesday only
Land. Tuesday – Wednesday
La Plancha. Monday – Wednesday
Palmyra. Monday – Wednesday
Ponte Di Legno. Monday – Wednesday
Kababish. Monday – Wednesday
La Fibule. Monday – Wednesday
Tipu Sultan. Monday – Wednesday
Byzantium. Monday – Wednesday
Kitchen Garden Cafe. Monday – Wednesday
Purnells Bistro. Wednesday only
Sarehole Bakehouse Pizza. Wednesday only
Becketts Farm. Monday – Wednesday
Please let me know if you would like to be added to this list.
