With less than two weeks to go, time is running out for people to make their nominations for the Irish Restaurant Awards 2014. There are three great prizes on offer for those lucky enough to win, with all the details at www.irishrestaurantawards.com.
This is the 6th time the event, backed by the Restaurants Association of Ireland, has run. They recognise achievement and excellence in the restaurant industry throughout the island of Ireland in 25 categories and celebrate all aspects of the industry, from chefs and restaurant managers, to restaurants, cafes and gastro pubs, to food producers, and cookery schools.
The 2014 awards are judged on a detailed and thorough process whereby nominated restaurants face rigorous scrutiny from the consumer, regional judges, a mystery guest visitor and finally the National Awards Judging Academy at county, regional and nationwide levels.
Since these Awards started in 2009, the number of nominations have grown and grown. 2013 was a significant year for the Awards as the number of nominations doubled as a result of the transfer to an online nomination process. With almost 10,000 online votes received last year, the total number of nominations is set to break the records once again in 2014.
Adrian Cummins (pictured), chief executive of the RAI commented; “The awards are a celebration in the best of Irish cuisine and recognise the hard work that restaurateurs put in all year round. Restaurateurs are entrepreneurs, and to give them something back for their contribution to the hospitality industry is important. The restaurant industry is the biggest employer within the Irish tourism sector, employing over 64,000 people.
They should be proud of that, and celebrate their hard work in the coming months.”
© 2014 - Hospitality Ireland Magazine by Gordon Hunt
