‘Eat out to help out’: thousands of food outlets yet to sign up for scheme

Only a quarter of eligible cafes, pubs and restaurants registered for half-price dining scheme less than two weeks before launch

Only a quarter of the restaurants, cafes and pubs eligible to sign up for the government’s ‘eat out to help out’ scheme have done so, with less than two weeks to go before diners can get their hands on the half-price meals.

The coffee retailer Costa today became the latest major chain to announce it had registered with the scheme– which starts in August - joining others including Burger King, McDonald’s, Harvester, Nando’s, Pizza Hut and JD Wetherspoon.