English diners rush back to restaurants as lockdown eases

FILE PHOTO: People enjoy the evening at an outside restaurant area in Soho, as the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) restrictions ease, in London, Britain April 12, 2021. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls

LONDON — British diners rushed back to restaurants on Monday, the first day that they had been open in England for outdoor service since January as coronavirus restrictions eased, the Office for National Statistics said on Thursday.

Restaurant reservations on April 12 were 79% of their level on the same day in 2019, before the pandemic, according to figures sourced from reservations company OpenTable, from close to zero previously, the ONS said.

A broader measure of consumer spending fell in the week to April 8, however, which the ONS said reflected public holidays over Easter.

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