Eat Out to Help Out: How the scheme has affected Chesterfield pubs, cafés and restaurants and what the future holds for the the town's hospitality sector

Consequently the Government's Eat Out to Help Out initiative, giving diners 50 per cent off the cost of food and soft drinks at pubs, cafés and restaurants on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, has provided her business with a much-needed shot in the arm since it started on August 3.

"We've definitely seen more trade in August as opposed to July," says Jill. "There's probably two things about it – in July people were still very jittery about coming out, but we definitely have had more trade through on the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesdays we've been doing Eat Out to Help Out. It's good, because it doesn't only bring business to me, it brings business into town. Tuesday has always been our quietest day traditionally, because there's no market on."

The scheme, intended to boost the struggling hospitality sector in the wake of the coronavirus lockdown, was used more than 10.5 million times in its first week according to HMRC, which is processing claims to reimburse businesses.

Estimates put the average claim at close to £5, making the cost of the initiative around £50 million so far – the Government has set aside £500 million to pay for the policy until August 31, and more than 83,000 places have signed up nationally, including independents and major chains.

Crucially, diners do not have to do anything to get their discount, which is capped at £10 per person. If a venue is registered, the money will be deducted from their bill if meals are consumed on the premises.

Coffee St, on Cavendish Street, previously opened from 9am to 5pm but is operating on reduced hours of 10am to 3pm, which is something of an enforced circumstance.

"A lot of shops around us are doing the same hours and people have got used to the fact that, basically, town closes at three," says Jill. "The footfall has gone at that point. The banks could open longer than they are, that would help. They're only open on Wednesdays and Thursdays."

It's all reminiscent of a bygone age, she thinks. "I was born in the 1960s and I can remember that on Saturdays and Wednesdays things closed at lunchtime, half-day closing – and nowhere was open on a Sunday."

Meanwhile, at award-winning Chesterfield gastropub The Market Pub on New Beetwell Street, tables have been hard to come by from Monday to Wednesday since Eat Out to Help Out began.

"It's noticeably busier with dining, but the knock-on effect is it's been a bit quieter on Thursday and Friday," says landlord Douglas Daniels. "It's encouraging, it is tempting people out which is a good thing for us trying to get re-established as a business. We still do walk-ins, but to be honest we've been fully booked."

And people are spending extra, he's noticed. "They're ordering more expensive items from the menu. Fillet steak, halibut, turbot – things that cost a little bit more."

Most of The Market Pub's staff have been brought back off furlough, says Douglas, as the safety measures required to curb the spread of coronavirus need close attention.

"We're having to put on more staff than we normally would because it requires a more detailed service than we'd normally provide – typically people would come in and order at the bar, but now we have to take orders from tables," he says.

"Feedback's been really good. We've had people say they felt concerned about coming out but they've felt comfortable and safe."

However, the former chief government scientific adviser Sir David King has warned the country could be heading for a full national lockdown again if 'the level of infectivity' in England is not dealt with – a turn of events Douglas says would be 'very difficult' for his pub to cope with.

"I've had to introduce a lot of capital back into the business to get it going again. If we had a lockdown again it'd be extremely challenging."

He would like to see Eat Out to Help Out extended.

"For us, obviously, we've got to be compliant and safe but at the end of the day we've got 19 staff and it's my job to keep them in a job. We've got to be busy – there has to be diners and people in the pub spending money, otherwise you don't exist any more."

Jill takes a similar view, and is even considering launching her own scheme if the Government's policy is retired at the end of August.

"I'm negotiating with my family, who help me run the business, as to whether we ought to continue some sort of offer, particularly on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesdays, to draw people in. Customers are spending more, they might think 'I'll have an extra cup of coffee'.”

The surprise factor, Jill has found, has sprung from the realisation that many customers have seemed unaware of Eat Out to Help Out's existence.

"At least 50 per cent of the people we're serving don't even realise this offer is on," she says. "When we say to them 'Your coffee today is only £1.30', or something, they say 'Why is it so cheap?' People haven't really got the message."

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