Cheap Date! Eat Out scheme ideal for savvy singles

How the new Eat Out to Help Out Scheme can inspire dinner dates with a discount

A cosy drink in a country pub after a socially distanced walk in the countryside or a candlelit meal for two may still not be everyone’s cup of tea in these uncertain times.

But one thing is sure; the government’s new £550m Eat Out to Help Out scheme – adopted by over 72,000 pubs, cafes, bars and restaurants across the country – certainly offers plenty of scope for a ‘cheap date’ for savvy singletons willing to get themselves back out there dating for real in the new normal.

Whilst, here at Muddy Matches we are still encouraging our 300,000 outdoor-loving members to date from a distance virtually or enjoy the wide open spaces on their doorstep, it is easy to see why Eat Out to Help Out has definitely caught the public’s imagination.

The well publicised scheme encourages Monday-Wednesday use of eateries through 50% offers up to a £10 a person and country pubs, especially, are reporting a return to busier gardens and socially distanced table bookings. Yes, a picnic in the park remains popular but there’s a growing sense of normal-ness returning as singletons settle back into old dating routines.

We recently read that the average UK singleton will spend over £130 on a date – with more than £80 of that being splashed out on food and drink – and that the unspoken ‘gentleman foots the bill’ rule is still rife when dining on a date.

So, the Eat Out to Help Out scheme could well be a shrewd move for country gents with hearts set on a romantic dinner at a discount (although that quick dram for dutch courage and to calm the butterflies won’t qualify unfortunately).

The scheme runs until 31 August giving you ample time to arrange a date before the end of the month. So revisit your Muddy Matches favourites list, run a new search to unearth the many new faces who have signed up since lockdown and see who’s up for turning dates from virtual to reality.