RESTAURANTS, pubs and cafes across Otley have joined a discount scheme designed to get people eating out again.

At least a dozen businesses are taking part in the Eat Out to Help Out initiative which offers customers a 50 per cent discount on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays throughout August.

The participating venues include a riverside-based Italian restaurant (Buon Apps), an East European-style pancake house (Mr Blinok’s Pancake House) and M’Deena, which serves Moroccan cuisine.

Four pubs have also joined up - The Fleece, The Chevin Inn, The Royalty and the Black Horse - along with the Chevin Country House Hotel & Spa and traditional Indian restaurant Red Pepper. The participating cafes and tearooms, meanwhile, include the Greek-influenced The Dales Café, the 1950s-themed Milk Bar and the riverside Parkgate Café.

Otley Town Council’s Trade & Tourism Committee Chair, Councillor Paul Carter (Lib Dem, Manor), said: “The Eat Out to Help Out campaign is not only a great idea to encourage people to dine out in Otley but it also showcases the wide range of restaurant types and cuisines we have in such a relatively small market town.

“Those taking advantage of the scheme can truly eat their way around the world while enjoying a significant discount on their purchases in the process.”

Otley BID Chair Tom Hatley added: “Otley is known for its wide range of pubs, restaurants, tearooms and cafés and the leisure industry has been one of the worst hit by the COVID-19 crisis.

“The Eat Out to Help Out campaign provides a welcome boost for businesses that may have been affected, as well as providing some much needed social relief for residents and visitors.”

Announced in early July, Eat Out to Help Out is intended to help kickstart the country’s hospitality sector following months of lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Chancellor Rishi Sunak said it was needed ‘to get customers back into restaurants, cafes and pubs, and protect the 1.8 million people who work in them’.

The scheme’s discount applies to food and non-alcoholic drinks and is capped at a maximum of £10 (discount) per diner.

No voucher is needed and diners are also able to combine the discount with any other offers while there is no minimum spend.

Those wishing to take advantage of the discounts available locally are reminded that social distancing measures are still in place and booking may be required, so they should check with the venue they are interested in beforehand.

A full list of the local businesses that are taking part and their contact details can be found at https://www.buyinotley.co.uk/eat-out-to-help-out/.