Late morning at the Oriental Aroma restaurant in the Wiltshire town of Wootton Bassett. Outside the police are on standby, should crowd control become necessary. Inside seven chefs are steeling themselves for what will be an extraordinary four-hour service.
At 11.40am the first of the Chinese and Thai food fans turn up. By 12.30pm when the restaurant opens a hundred or more are queuing up the stairs and out on to the street. As many as 500 will have eaten their fill here by the end of the afternoon. They clearly like a bargain in these parts - and this is some bargain. Eat all you want for free (from a selection of 150 dishes). And get paid as you walk out - a £1 coin plus a bottle of Beijing Gold beer, just in case there's any room left after mountains of dumplings and rolls and rice and satay and sweet and sour.
The recession means many business people need to be bold to survive. The fight within the restaurant trade is particularly fearsome. The reservations website Toptable was listing 457 offers at 257 venues in London alone last night. In these tough times restaurants need to be good, they need to be worth the money and the customers need to feel loved. Even so, at first glance, owner James Huynh's gamble at Oriental Aroma appears reckless.
Marshalling the crowds outside his restaurant, he said that Sunday lunchtimes were traditionally quiet. "So I decided to do something for my loyal customers to help those out who have been laid off or are watching the pennies. A lot of people think I'm crazy."
On the first Sunday he offered a free meal. For week two he ceremonially handed over a pound coin to all those who had eaten there. Yesterday it was £1 plus a bottle of beer. Next week he's going to donate £2 to a local hospice for every customer he serves as well as the free meal. No wonder there was an enthusiastic round of applause when Huynh greeted his customers on the restaurant karaoke system.
Inevitably, news of the offer has spread. Yesterday people from more than 50 miles away had got hold of the necessary token from the local paper and were enjoying the house speciality, Saigon chicken. Reg and Norene Richardson were two of the lucky ones who got into the first sitting. They are definitely loyal customers, having had their Christmas lunch at Oriental Aroma. "The food is great and the offer is fantastic," said Mrs Richardson.
As Shirley Bassey belted out Big Spender on the restaurant sound system, the Partridge family relaxed after their 40-minute drive from Bristol. "We'd come back and pay," said Mr Partridge. Joe, a retired US navy serviceman, announced he had come from Baltimore, Maryland. But not just for the offer. He moved to Swindon with his Welsh wife years ago. "King prawns were on the menu - you don't normally get the good seafood on offers like this."
Of course, there is a bit of a catch. You have to spend £5 on cold drinks to qualify for the offer and it is hard when you are enjoying sticky ribs not to think a beer or three is a good idea.
But Nigel Stedmen and his family were not bothered. They had come out to eat because daughter Samantha was back from the army for the weekend and may be sent somewhere dangerous soon. "We've been having a good time," said Stedmen. "Great food, great company, what more could you want?"
Recession bargains
• Some hard-pressed restaurateurs have been asking customers to pay only what they feel the meal was worth, including the Little Bay in Farringdon, London, and two seafood restaurants in Devon.
• In Norfolk, Nathan Devlin is offering his professional garage for hire to motorists whose cars need fixing. You rent his equipment, turn up with your Haynes DIY manual and have a go.
• There are bargains to be had in the world of fashion. A credit crunch dress - the Zipper - comes with scores of zips that allow it to be converted into a gown of many styles.
• Finding it hard to pay for the upkeep of your horse? Then why not swap it for a miniature version. Kay Broad, who breeds the 90cm-tall (3ft) miniature horses in Cornwall, says business is booming. Warning: they do not support the weight of a hefty adult.
• Many councils are offering free buses to help customers get to the shops. In Sunderland cabbies have come up with a flat fare for one route into the city centre - a credit crunch-busting £2.
