The UK government’s eagerly anticipated Eat Out To Help Out Scheme will see more than 53,000 outlets across the UK’s cafe and restaurant sector drop their prices by 50% in August – but the big question is, which of our favourite coffee shops will be taking part!?
In a bid to help save our suffering economy amid the coronavirus crisis, the Eat Out To Help Out scheme aims to encourage the public to begin dining inside establishments once again, where they will receive half-price benefits of up to £10 per person, every Monday to Wednesday in August 2020.
The hope here is that this will entice more customers through the doors of struggling businesses and give owners the confidence to retain and hire staff.
And with no vouchers or limits to the new initiative, diners can eat on the cheap for the entire month for as many times as they like!
So to prepare all you coffee craving cappuccino lovers for a glorious month of java glugging glory, we’ve put together a list of the biggest coffee chains taking part and the stores where you will find the most seriously super savings!
Eat Out To Help Out Coffee Chains
Starbucks
With just under 1,000 stores in the UK, you’re never more than a few feet away from the world’s favourite coffee chain and frappuccino fans will be delighted to hear that Starbucks are one of the scheme’s biggest advocates!
An amazing spot for lunch, Starbucks most expensive coffee – a Venti Vanilla Spice Latte – will cost you just £1.87!
If you like your coffee a little less fancy, you can also get a solo espresso or filter coffee for a mind-boggling 75p! That’s great quality coffee at greasy spoon cafe prices!
With their standard sandwiches and cakes usually costing £3.99 and £1.99, you could also bag yourself a Chicken & Bacon Panini, a Raspberry & Coconut Cake and espresso for an astonishing £3.73!
That’s almost as cheap as a supermarket meal deal!
Costa Coffee
Costa has really hit the headlines this week thanks to their cooperation with the scheme, as their cheapest coffee will now be available for an astounding 32p!
This is because Costa has also decided to pass on more savings to their customers courtesy of a six-month VAT cut of 15% for the hospitality industry.
These combined savings have resulted in insane price cuts at Costa with cake items like their delicious salted caramel brownie dropping from £2.25 to 99p and their croissants falling from £1.35 to 59p.
It’s definitely highlighted itself as the go-to coffee hotspot this August and some of their saving examples border on the ridiculous.
For example, a bonkers order of a flat white, iced latte, frostino, lemonade, ham & cheese toastie, Italian mozzarella & tomato panini, chocolate caramel & hazelnut cookie and a Rolo muffin will cost just £10.04.
Drop just one of those and you could have the entire bounty to yourself! (If you’re that greedy of course!)
Pret A Manger
A favourite of London luvvies, Pret is the lunchtime Mecca for thousands of 9 to 5 workers, but with so many people furloughed or working from home, they’ve been low on business for the last few months.
Thankfully, Pret will be back with a bang in August thanks to their involvement in the Eat Out To Help Out initiative, meaning many will be making a pilgrimage once again to feast on their favourite Pret paninis & sarnies.
Just like Costa, Pret is also passing on their VAT savings to customers, which means even more savings for Ready To Eat fans!
If it’s your coffee haunt of choice, their standard £2.75 cappuccino will now set you back just £1.20 and a take-out ham and cheese croissant just £1.05 as opposed to £2.40.
Caffe Nero
Another favourite of the high-street crowd, Caffe Nero re-opened 400 of its 800 stores on July 4th and will continue to open more of their much-missed coffee shops in the coming weeks.
Their involvement in the Eat Out To Help Out scheme will also encourage plenty of loyal customers to return in their droves this month, as they look to take advantage of some of the great savings on offer!
One of the cheaper java hangouts, their most expensive coffee is a £2.75 sit-in cappuccino grande, which will set you back just £1.37 every Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday over the next month.
Eat Out To Help Out: Local Coffee Shops
With all the excitement of your favourite chains coming back and huge savings to be made, it’s all too easy to forget the little guys who are also trying to thrive and survive in these testing times.
Independent coffee shops need your help and support even more than the chains, as places like Costa & Starbucks are guaranteed thousands of customers in the next 30 days, but your little local coffee shop on the corner isn’t guaranteed anything.
So if you know of a fair few local coffee businesses in your immediate area who are in the process of re-opening or looking to get back on their feet, please check if they’re signed on for the scheme!
You can look up which restaurants and cafes in your area are part of the Eat Out To Help Out Scheme by heading to the government website and typing in your postcode HERE.
If there are a few independent coffee shops near you taking part, why not priorities them over your nearest Pret or Caffe Nero?
After all, you’re still guaranteed to save yourself a few bob and you’ll more than likely be saving someone’s job and livelihood at the same time!