Eat out to help out question.
Eat out to help out question.
Author
Discussion

Dagnir

Original Poster:

2,116 posts

192 months

Monday 24th August 2020
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The initial message was deleted from this topic on 11 March 2021 at 19:16

SAS Tom

3,754 posts

203 months

Monday 24th August 2020
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They can do what they want with the menu.

Terminator X

20,570 posts

233 months

Monday 24th August 2020
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I've noticed smaller menus too but isn't it just smaller cos of CV19 rather than EOHO?

TX.

vaud

59,407 posts

184 months

Monday 24th August 2020
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Dagnir said:
Is it legal for restaurants to run cut down menus and not serve the more expensive and in demand food, during this scheme?

I'm sure it probably is but just curious...
Of course it is legal.

Margins are reduced as it is given the impact to spacing, increased costs for sanitising, etc

Lots of big brands have been practicing "shrinkflation" in recent years even pre-pandemic.

Durzel

12,999 posts

197 months

Monday 24th August 2020
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Talk about looking a gift horse in the mouth.

NGee

2,935 posts

193 months

Monday 24th August 2020
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Dagnir said:
Is it legal for restaurants to run cut down menus and not serve the more expensive and in demand food, during this scheme?

I'm sure it probably is but just curious...
Of course it's legal, they can have what ever menu they want!

However why do you think restaurants want to run cut down menus and not serve the more expensive and in demand food? They want to sell the most expensive menu possible. It's not the restaurant that cops the bill for the 50% reduction, it's us (the government). The more they sell the more they make, they don't care who pays for it!

If restaurants are going to play the system they will put the price up, not down!!

21TonyK

13,291 posts

238 months

Monday 24th August 2020
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Restaurants are reducing menus and removing more complex dishes to save time on prep and in service as they are probably running with reduced staff and increased demands on the head chefs nights off.

Normal practice at times of high demand.

48k

17,392 posts

177 months

Monday 24th August 2020
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Dagnir said:
Is it legal for restaurants to run cut down menus and not serve the more expensive and in demand food, during this scheme?

I'm sure it probably is but just curious...
No it's highly illegal. Something like 10 years in the slammer if they get caught. Call 999 immediately.

martinbiz

3,698 posts

174 months

Monday 24th August 2020
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What a strange question???

anonymous-user

83 months

Monday 24th August 2020
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The question is indeed utterly bizarre. I cannot even begin to conceive how anyone could think that a restaurant offering fewer items than it used to offer could be illegal. Does the OP perhaps think that the UK is a sort of North Korea, with State regulation of every single thing in life?

Dagnir

Original Poster:

2,116 posts

192 months

Monday 24th August 2020
quotequote all
Yeah it did come across a bit strange, on reflection.

I must have rushed it in the end, as I should have been far, far more specific.

I was actually curious about the morality of it (pondering whether it's in the spirit of the scheme) and then also the legality of lying about stock, in order to save it for non-scheme days.

Jasandjules

72,588 posts

258 months

Monday 24th August 2020
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Dagnir said:
Is it legal for restaurants to run cut down menus and not serve the more expensive and in demand food, during this scheme?

I'm sure it probably is but just curious...
Well, what kind of law do you think they could possibly be breaking?

Sebring440

3,209 posts

125 months

Monday 24th August 2020
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Dagnir said:
Yeah it did come across a bit strange, on reflection.
I think you must be a very strange person, first to even be thinking about this (which obviously you have been) and then thinking that you must rush onto PH and post about it.


ging84

9,548 posts

175 months

Monday 24th August 2020
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Why would they not want to sell more expensive and in demand food, on days when the government is chipping in ?
There is no part of the scheme that makes them carry any of the cost, so if there was a dubious practice going on then it would probably claiming to be out of stock of the cheaper items trying to push people to spend more, not the other way round.

Wacky Racer

41,314 posts

276 months

Monday 24th August 2020
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What's to stop a dodgy Restaurant saying they have sold 200 meals a day when they have only sold 75 and claiming 50% of 125 meals off the Government?

Presumably, they have to submit till receipts etc? smile

Just wondered......

ging84

9,548 posts

175 months

Tuesday 25th August 2020
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Wacky Racer said:
What's to stop a dodgy Restaurant saying they have sold 200 meals a day when they have only sold 75 and claiming 50% of 125 meals off the Government?

Presumably, they have to submit till receipts etc? smile

Just wondered......

They are meant to be recommending card payments over cash, so anyone with a lot more supposedly cash transactions than anywhere else is going to stick out.
They are meant to be collecting names and phone numbers incase they are needed for track and trace. So HMRC could start digging into these records, although probably more of a deterrent rather than something that will really happen.

BertBert

21,257 posts

240 months

Tuesday 25th August 2020
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Dagnir said:
I was actually curious about the morality of it (pondering whether it's in the spirit of the scheme) and then also the legality of lying about stock, in order to save it for non-scheme days.
I don't think you've really thought this through have you?

untakenname

5,351 posts

221 months

Tuesday 25th August 2020
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There's the potential for massive fraud within this scheme especially for any non chain that doesn't input into an EPOS straight away when dealing with a customer, anyone being dishonest could easily create ghost tables.

Dagnir said:
Yeah it did come across a bit strange, on reflection.

I must have rushed it in the end, as I should have been far, far more specific.

I was actually curious about the morality of it (pondering whether it's in the spirit of the scheme) and then also the legality of lying about stock, in order to save it for non-scheme days.
The scheme itself is immoral considering it's obesity which is the main issue with Covid deaths under the age of 80 plus flys in the face of social distancing, it's just a populist move which overall doesn't help many businesses as they are only busy three days out of the seven plus people also tend to drink less early in the week which is where restaurants make their margin.

GT03ROB

14,023 posts

250 months

Tuesday 25th August 2020
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Dagnir said:
Is it legal for restaurants to run cut down menus and not serve the more expensive and in demand food, during this scheme?

I'm sure it probably is but just curious...
Sorry but......rofl

ging84

9,548 posts

175 months

Tuesday 25th August 2020
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untakenname said:
The scheme itself is immoral considering it's obesity which is the main issue with Covid deaths under the age of 80 plus flys in the face of social distancing, it's just a populist move which overall doesn't help many businesses as they are only busy three days out of the seven plus people also tend to drink less early in the week which is where restaurants make their margin.
Some people are obese so it is immoral to promote eating out, especially when people aren't buying enough alcohol, but also because it doesn't go far enough because restaurants aren't getting enough business the rest of the week, but shouldn't be happening at all because these restaurants should be closed to stop the virus.
Why don't you pick a side and stick with it.