More than 85,000 outlets are now signed up and there’s still time to use the scheme before it ends on August 31st to get as much as 50% off the bill on food or non-alcoholic drinks when you eat or drink in.
Colchester Zoo, for example, is home to over 220 animal species in 60 acres of parkland and lakes. Visitors have been using the scheme when they eat-in at the Penguini’s Restaurant and Southern Kitchen.
Melissa Dench, business development manager at the zoo, said: “Here at Colchester Zoo we have found that The Eat Out to Help Out scheme has encouraged visitors to buy food at the zoo rather than bring their own picnics.
“This has helped increase secondary spend and is helping towards the zoo’s survival during this difficult time.”
The scheme has already seen claims for more than 35m meals and continues at participating outlets on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday until the end of the month.
Other places to eat-in include the oldest coffee shop in the country, a cat cafe and Britain’s highest pub, plus holiday hotspots such as zipwires in North Wales, cable cars in the Peak District and the Cornish coast.
There is also:
* The Tan Hill Inn, in Swaledale, near Keld, offers panoramic views of the North Yorkshire Dales and is Britain’s highest public house at 1,732 feet (528m) above sea level.
* BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, in Gateshead, offers views of the River Tyne and the Gateshead Millennium Bridge from Six Bar & Restaurant and their sister venue BALTIC Kitchen.
* You can also head to Newcastle’s Blackfriars, a 13th century former Dominican friary which is believed to have the oldest dining room in the UK.
* The Royal Yacht Britannia, in Edinburgh, served the Royal Family for more than 44 years, travelling more than a million nautical miles to become one of the most famous ships in the world.
* Seaview Hotel overlooks the Pentland Firth and Orkney Isles at the most northerly point of mainland Britain in John O'Groats.
* Cat Café in Liverpool and Manchester are passionate about Animal Assisted Therapy and encourage the interaction between humans and cats to benefit mental health. They say it is “the purrfect escape from stress.”
* Established in 1654 the Queen’s Lane Coffee House, in Oxford, is said to be the oldest continually working coffee house in the whole of Europe.
* The Terrace Café at Heights of Abraham, in Matlock Bath, Derbyshire, offers views of the Derwent Valley – and you need to take a cable car ride to get there!
* The Llama Park, in East Sussex, is situated next to the Ashdown Forest and is home to an ever-growing variety of animals such as llamas, alpacas, reindeer and horses.
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak said: “Britain is breathing life back into hospitality by eating out to help out – with at least 35 million meals served up in the first two weeks alone, that is equivalent to more than half of the UK taking part.
“I encourage everyone to continue to safely enjoy this scheme – it is vital people continue to support the 1.8 million people who work in the sector.”