Diners used the “eat out to help out” scheme more than 10.5 million times in its inaugural week, the Treasury has said. How it works is that the government pays for 50% of your meal at any participating restaurant, cafe or pub (excluding alcohol), up to £10 off each individual’s bill.

The scheme was started to help struggling high street food & beverage businesses as we slowly come out of the lockdown period. The great news is, this has led to an increase in the number of people visiting High Streets across the country, with footfall 19% higher than the previous week, according to Springboard.

So far over 83,000 restaurants have signed up to the scheme, with more than one-third of consumers intending to take part in the initiative. If you haven’t already signed up your business, you can find out how right here.

The leisure market is showing promising signs of recovery. The Qoot restaurant group, which owns brands such as the Lebanese Bakery, sales have jumped 47 per cent compared to the previous week at its six London sites participating in the scheme. The same can be said for Franco Manca, with close to a 50% increase in sales week on week.

After a truly difficult period, we are finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel for pubs, restaurants and cafes. Long may it continue.