NE1 lunch club initiative hopes to boost Newcastle hospitality industry
The scheme hopes to generate footfall for restaurants during what is normally a quieter time in the week
Newcastle businesses tell us they hope NE1s new weekly lunch club initiative will help boost the hospitality industry.
It is after the hospitality industry has been hard hit by the triple whammy of tax hikes, business rate reduction and rising energy bills.
Daniel Stamatelopoulos, owner of participating restaurant Kafeneon, said: "Obviously everyone knows we've been here for a very long time, approaching the 30-year mark now.
"It's a busy place but obviously you'll still get your dips, so on a Tuesday lunch that's going to be a nice little boost for us.
"Anyone that gets involved in these kind of schemes, it's not necessarily about making money from the scheme itself, it's just about being part of the restaurant industry and the connection between us all."
The new weekly Tuesday Lunch Club will offer city centre diners fixed-price lunchtime menus for £7.50 or £10 per person at more than 30 participating venues across Newcastle.
It aims to provide extra midweek support for the restaurant industry throughout the year.
Rachel Fenwick, head of marketing and events at Newcastle NE1, said: "Lunch club has come about as lunch is stereotypical the quietest time of the day for a lot of these businesses.
"The idea is really to push on the lunch time offering to drive people into businesses and enjoy that lunch time uptake.
"Everything that we do is to create that economic boost for businesses in the city centre and NE1s lunch club is no different.
"We do expect a huge uptake of lunches in the city centre on a Tuesday."