Mayfair landlord Grosvenor extends eating out discounts

“This scheme has reminded us how much we love to dine out, and in doing so, how this is helping to protect the jobs of nearly two million people who work in hospitality,” Chancellor Rishi Sunak said.

“I am urging everyone, where they can, to continue to safely enjoy a meal while the scheme remains open.”

To date, a small number of restaurant chains, including Brindisa and Gaucho, have said they would extend Eat Out to Help Out into September at their own expense, but no major landlords had done so.

Grosvenor’s offer is significant because it underlines anxiety among commercial landlords that the end of the summer season will lead to a renewed decline in footfall in parts of central London.

The capital’s economy has been substantially slower to recover since the end of the nationwide coronavirus lockdown than many other parts of the UK.

Prospects for a swift bounceback in central London appear uncertain, with many large companies saying they will allow employees to work from home at least part of the time for months to come.

Some, such as the City-based asset manager Schroders, have gone even further by saying that staff can base themselves at home permanently.

That has spurred the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, to outline a string of proposals aimed at “saving the West End”, although the decision to extend the capital’s congestion charge has attracted derision from many hospitality executives.

Data published recently showed that restaurant transactions in central London in mid-July were 80% lower than in January.

Comparable statistics from many suburbs suggested they were enjoying a faster recovery, with transactions at, or closer to, pre-pandemic levels.

A number of prominent restaurant chains have fallen into administration since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, including Carluccio’s and the parent companies of Café Rouge and ASK Italian.

Tens of thousands of jobs have been lost across the sector.

Grosvenor declined to comment on Tuesday.