Sydneysiders who use their Dine & Discover vouchers at select restaurants and bars will be able to score $50 worth of free drinks – despite the official coupons not being eligible for alcohol.
The scheme gives all adults in New South Wales two $25 vouchers to spend at restaurants, cafes, bars, wineries, pubs and clubs, which can be redeemed seven-days-a-week at any business which has signed up.
Daily Mail Australia revealed on Tuesday that hospitality giant Australian Venue Co is offering to double their customers’ vouchers – meaning each is worth $50 – if used at one of their ten Sydney restaurants and bars.
Now the company has confirmed that while Dine & Discover vouchers cannot be spent on alcohol, the bonus voucher issued at AVC venues can be used to buy wine, beer, spirits and cocktails.
The loophole allows customers to spend up to $25 per visit on food using the government-issued vouchers, and get an extra $25 to spend on drinks using the vouchers from AVC.
Over two visits, this could scoop customers $50 worth of free booze.
Pictured: A woman dining at The Rook, which is one of the ten venues where patrons can score a $50 booze voucher
‘Redeem your $25 Dine & Discover NSW voucher at one of ten AVC venues and we’ll double your fun with an additional $25 to spend in-house,’ the AVC website read.
‘To get your extra $25, download and sign up to the AVC app. Then when you come to the venue, we’ll give you $25 credit to spend on the app.’
Venues include a string of bars and pubs along Sydney Harbour in Barangaroo, including Beer DeLuxe Sydney, Bungalow8, Cargo and The Loft – known for their spectacular water views.
Closer to the city, high-class venues such as The Winery in Surry Hills, which has a vast assortment of wines, beers and cocktails, and an extensive food menu.
Kingsleys Woolloomooloo is also included in the list, where customers can enjoy an extravagant seafood menu while gazing at the ocean. Pictured: Two women holding cocktails at one of the venues
Kingsleys Woolloomooloo is also included in the list, where customers can enjoy an extravagant seafood menu while gazing at the ocean.
Only one voucher can be redeemed per venue per day, giving each customer a free $50 to spend on one outing at the AVC spots, but residents can combine their voucher with a friend’s voucher to take $100 off the bill.
The $500million initiative was designed to breathe life into the state’s hospitality sector as it emerges from the coronavirus pandemic, and was initially only available in regional areas.
Another two $25 vouchers are available to use seven days a week on arts and entertainment, including museums, theatres and concerts.
The vouchers are accessible from the Service NSW app under the ‘Vouchers’ section, and downloadable as a QR code, which can then presented to businesses enrolled in the program.
A non-digital alternative will be available for customers who don’t have a smartphone or compatible device.
The scheme was rolled out to support the hospitality industry which has been badly hit during Covid lockdowns and also with the ban on foreign tourists.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian described the initiative as a win-win for everyone.
‘For too long because of Covid, we haven’t been able to support these business, so it’s a win for citizens and a win for businesses as it boosts their ability to receive people again as we move through Covid,’ she said.
‘It also allows up to open up the economy as the more dollars that go into the economy allows us to grow in the future to create and protect jobs because so many people were displaced because of Covid.’
Ms Berejiklian added the government was ‘overwhelmingly satisfied’ with the early success of the initiative.
Pictured: Beer DeLuxe in Sydney, which is one of the bars included in the deal in Barangaroo
