A busy pub has made a brave decision to quit the Government's Eat Out to Help Out scheme after being "beyond busy" since it started the discount meal deal on Monday.
Steph Dyer and Pete Kenwood, owners of Westleigh Inn, near Bideford, Devon, said while they support the incentive, it was not practical to introduce it during the summer.
They have pulled out of the scheme after a chaotic couple of days, including serving 98 covers in 75 minutes, telling customers they cannot give their "high standard of service," reports DevonLive.
The pair claimed eating out establishments in Devon were already full to overflowing without the government scheme, and believe it would have worked better in the Autumn.
Steph explained: "The amount of footfall in a little tiny village pub was just too much. It just wasn't fair on our staff, on their stress levels and physical health levels. It's just nuts."
She added: "The amount of covers we did was double what we normally do on a Monday lunchtime. I had to call time and stop people placing more orders or we wouldn't have got them all through.
"Everything is cooked fresh and it takes time to present and serve it all properly. People were waiting 1.5 hours and that's not the type of service we choose to give our customers.
"Plus there's the whole worry around social distancing. I have done everything possible to keep my customers and staff safe. But with that many people there just wasn't the room for people to wait in the toilet area.
"I think the scheme is a fantastic idea and it's been really well organised - I just think the timing is completely wrong. It would have been 100 per cent better - after most of the tourists have gone home.
"We have had a huge influx of holidaymakers, which we always have in Devon and Cornwall - but this year it's busier than ever because a lot of people haven't gone abroad for their holidays."
