The campaign, spearheaded by chef and pub operator Tom Kerridge, reached the milestone within its first three days.
It is backed by UKHospitality, the British Beer and Pub Association, the British Institute of Innkeeping and CODE Hospitality, and is calling for hospitality VAT to be reduced from 20% to 10%.
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Consumer push
Organisers say the a wider consumer push for the campaign is planned from 1 July. Operators are being urged to share the petition with teams and other venues ahead of asking customers to back the campaign next month.
The latest milestone follows the campaign’s launch earlier this week, when Kerridge called on the sector to unite behind the demand for a lower VAT rate in line with other European markets.
The petition had already exceeded 20,000 signatures within its first 24 hours.
‘Just the start’
Kerridge said: “What a start to the campaign, but it is just the start. More than 100,000 people backing 10% VAT for hospitality in just three days shows the strength of feeling across hospitality, and that number will only continue to grow.
“Hospitality businesses, please keep sharing the campaign with your teams and other venues in your area to get them to support, too.
“Let’s get this number as high as possible before the 1 July, and show just how much hospitality needs a VAT cut to 10%.”
The campaign comes amid renewed pressure on the Government over hospitality tax, with operators warning that rising employment costs, business rates, energy bills and wider inflation continue to put pressure on pubs, restaurants and bars.
Kerridge previously said VAT was “the one thing that affects all of us in hospitality” and argued the Government’s temporary 5% VAT cut on children’s meals showed fiscal changes could be used to stimulate the economy.
The campaign is aiming to reach 1m signatures.
Hospitality businesses are being encouraged to sign the petition, share it with staff and other venues, and use the campaign toolkit across emails, social media and websites ahead of the consumer launch next month.
