Economics
U.K. Restaurants Brace for Empty Tables as Support Ends
- Government subsidy program gave businesses an August boost
- Consumers plan to spend less and save more: BofA survey
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Summer has ended for Britain’s restaurants after a bumper August fueled by government subsidies to get people eating.
Data from reservation service OpenTable show that the number of diners barely rose year-on-year in recent days after the withdrawal of the government’s “Eat Out to Help Out” program, which had given patrons discounts Monday-Wednesday. The 2% increase compares with a surge of more than 90% last week.