Categories and Criteria

Accessibility Award

Criteria: The winner could be a hotel, pub, restaurant, club or foodservice contractor or an in house provider that offers outstanding customer services to this market segment.

Do you know a worthy winner for this award? The judges will be looking for evidence of all or some of the following:

  • Any research that has been used or undertaken to establish the needs of people with disabilities
  • A completed accessibility audit with a follow up action plan showing what has been done already and what is planned in both the short and long term
  • If, where and how people with disabilities are employed, including the training available to them and how any adjustments have been undertaken
  • Any specific measures that have been introduced to make all people with disabilities and their carers welcome, with details of any processes that have been changed
  • How new accessibility issues are identified and managed within the company or business
  • Details of any training given to management and staff to help people with disabilities in their everyday work
  • Any measures used to combat the abuse of accessible parking
  • How information, including marketing information, is made available to people with disabilities (e.g. audio and large print); this will include all existing print material and company website, if one already exists
  • Details of any other ideas or initiatives that have been, or will be, undertaken to make the visits of people with disabilities and their carers more enjoyable
  • Evidence of how well the above is working for people with disabilities (e.g. increased business, research results, testimonials, and any other awards that have been won)

Best Group Marketing Campaign

The Best Group Marketing Campaign Award is open to the most enterprising and effective overall campaign run by a hotel, food service operator, restaurant, leisure or brewery group. A group is defined as an organisation operating more than one unit, under central control and separated geographically. Entries in this category may be for a single unit within the group or for the group as a whole or any part of it. Click through to pdf entry form.

Best Independent Marketing Campaign

The Best Independent Marketing Campaign Award is open to the most enterprising and effective overall campaign run by a single-unit restaurant, hotel, food service operator or pub, without recourse to a centralised marketing department. A single unit is defined as one directly controlled by its owner and not belonging to a group as defined above. Individually owned hotels that are members of a consortium should enter this award. Click through to pdf entry form

Best Use of Technology Award

Criteria: The Best Use of Technology Award is open to any hotel, restaurant, brewery, leisure or food service business, regardless of size. Entries can be for a single-unit business or for a group of units. Entries will be accepted from executives of the above businesses responsible for managing the application of technology described. Entries must be for projects with a live date of no more than one year before the closing date for entries.

Entries should answer all five questions (below) on A4 paper. Entries may include testimonials from customers.

  • What new technology projects have you completed in the last 12 months?
  • What were the business reasons behind the installation? Have the perceived business benefits been achieved since the installation?
  • Have any additional, unexpected business benefits been achieved and if so what are they?
  • What have you done as part of the implementation that may be different to any other company who may have installed similar in order to achieve additional business benefit?
  • How do you plan to further benefit from the implementation?

Chef Award

Criteria: The award is open to chefs from all sectors of the industry. It recognises individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to the industry. The recipient must have made a major contribution through innovation in cooking techniques, styles of cuisine and the understanding of culinary processes. The award recognises a wider contribution to the trade, through significant and effective involvement in the fields of education, charity or the general promotion of the industry's interests. Although the award winner may not be an ever-present figure in his or her own kitchen, it is expected that the recipient will be taking a strong and significant role in the day-to-day operations of an outlet or outlets.

Education and Training Award

Criteria: The Award will go to someone who has demonstrated an innovative approach to continuous learning with particular regard to the needs of the hospitality industry. They will have developed initiatives in training that have added value and demonstrated an ability to adapt to the changing needs of the market. The may come from any area of the hospitality industry.

Food Service Caterer Award

Criteria: The Food Service Caterer Award will go to an individual working within the private or event sector who has made an outstanding contribution. The winner will possess the ability to combine innovation with sound financial performance as well as being able to demonstrate clear achievements.

Green Award

Criteria: This award will recognise the hospitality outlet or group that displays the most mature, innovative and integrated approach to green policy and programmes.

The winner will demonstrate a sound commitment to environmental practices across their business and may employ a green manager or team. They will also be able to demonstrate how the commitment to becoming more sustainable is spread throughout the organisation from the top to the bottom. A key element here will be to highlight how they are educating, training and motivating their staff to play their part in running a sustainable business and involving customers or guests in green practices.

Their corporate consideration of the environment will be manifested in such initiatives as implementing renewable energy sources; investing in new technology and equipment to minimise water and energy consumption; minimising the amount of waste sent to landfill through recycling initiatives, adopting more biodegradable products, and liaising with suppliers to reduce packaging; adopting more energy efficient building designs; and promoting seasonal, locally sourced produce to reduce food miles.

Judges’ Criteria

  • The Green Award is open to any hotel, restaurant, brewery, leisure or food service business, regardless of size
  • Entries can be for a single unit business, or for a group of units
  • Entries may include testimonials from customers

Entries should also include a green policy document and, where possible, testimonials.

Hotel of the Year - Group

Criteria: The Hotel of the Year - Group category is open to any group hotel of any size and at any market level that demonstrates excellence in its chosen market, consistency of product and service, success as a business and particular achievements in the past year. It is open to any hotel that is part of a group with four or more units.

Hotel of the Year - Independent

Criteria: The Hotel of the Year - Independent will be an independent business of three units or fewer, wholly owned and operated by its owner. It will: be a successful business of any size, category or market level; show excellence in its chosen market; offer an example to which others can aspire; and be able to demonstrate particular achievements in the past year.

Leisure and Tourism Award

Criteria: Leisure and Tourism Award candidates should meet one or more of the following criteria. They may have: persuaded tourists from both the UK and abroad to spend their money in this country; helped raise the profile of British hospitality and leisure industry; improved standards and professionalism in the hospitality and leisure industry. They may be running a visitor attraction which has significantly boosted UK tourism.

Lifetime Achievement Award

There is no set criteria for this award, although the winner is likely to have enjoyed success over a prolonged period. All of the past recipients have worked in the industry for more than 40 years, but in addition to their core business have contributed to the industry in a considerable way.

Manager of the Year

Criteria: The winning candidate will have demonstrated proven success in managing and developing a team in the workplace; established a good financial track record and proved their worth over and above the job description, particularly in the past year. Nominations are invited from all sectors of the industry and from all managerial levels.

Menu of the Year

Criteria: The shortlist will be chosen from Caterer's weekly Menuwatch column, which features the best menus from new UK restaurants. Please send your menus to Menuwatch, Caterer and Hotelkeeper, Quadrant House, The Quadrant, Sutton, Surrey, SM2 5AS. Email tom.vaughan@rbi.co.uk

Newcomer Award

Criteria: The Newcomer Award is open to all people in the industry who have taken a risk and seized an opportunity and made a name for themselves. The winner will own a business that has been operating for less than three years on 1 July 2007 and have established a reputation for quality and service. This will be their first owner-operator hospitality-based business. Candidates can be from any sector of the industry.

Pub and Bar Award

Criteria: The Pub and Bar Award is open to people who run, own or manage a pub or pub chain with a strong food element. The judges are looking for sound business planning and a good grasp of financial matters. Flair and innovation are also important. The winner must commit to staff training, customer service and show involvement in the community.

Public Sector Caterer Award

Criteria: The Public Sector Caterer Award will go to an individual or organisation who has made an outstanding contribution to the cost sector. The winner will possess the ability to combine innovation with sound financial performance, as well as being able to demonstrate clear achievements. The individual or organisation will have contributed to the cost sector in the areas of healthcare, education or institutional catering.

Restaurateur of the Year - Group

Criteria: The award is open to individuals who have made their mark in running system-led companies operating branded and themed food and drink outlets. They will operate 3 or more outlets.

Restaurateur of the Year - Independent

Criteria: Candidates must demonstrate the ability to combine flair and innovation with good business acumen. They must be setting standards to which others can aspire. They may own and operate several establishments but they will not be themed or branded.

Special Award

There is no set criteria for this award. It can recognise someone from any sector of the catering or hospitality industry. The person you nominate will have made a significant contribution to their sector - but this contribution may not by any means be over. The award may come early in a career, or as recognition of original or creative ideas, or later when someone has established a consistently outstanding record.

 

The judges' decision will be final and no correspondence can be entered into.