Who do you think deserves the Restaurant Manager award? Who do you think deserves the Restaurant Manager award?

RESTAURANT MANAGER OF THE YEAR

With so many nominations for this category, it was not an easy task to select just a handful of nominees for the shortlist — but we were looking for some very special qualities from our finalists.

We wanted people who had clearly worked to drive front-of-house business, providing personal service to customers and motivating their staff.

The shortlisted candidates all displayed personable and approachable characters which had encouraged a loyal customer base, but they also focused on driving revenue and demonstrably improved operations at their outlets over the past year.

The outstanding nominees in this category are:

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• Manuel Agustin, Benihana Restaurant, Al Bustan Rotana

Manuel stood out form the crowd of nominations submitted for his dedication and commitment to his outlet — truly “owning the business”.

His belief in the outlet itself, as well as his confidence in the team and his approachable personality, have made both Manuel and Benihana firm favourites on the Dubai dining scene.

 

 

• Stephan Karl, The Terrace, Park Hyatt

Stephan’s methodical, organised and entirely committed approach to running this popular outlet has seen the business go from strength to strength.

From organizing live music, to encouraging his team to take part in competitions and personally chatting to the guests each night, Stephan’s admirable leadership skills marked him out as a real industry champion.

 

 

• Chadi Nahra, BiCE, Qasr Al Sharq, Jeddah

Introducing Chadi as a man whose main drive was his “flawless, friendly and discreet service in combination with attention to detail”, this nomination praised him for his exacting standards and dedication to his team.

His efforts to motivate his team and create a true ‘family’ atmosphere, combined with his success in increasing beverage sales by 15% while cutting beverage costs by 2%, marked Chadi out as a truly outstanding candidate.

 

 

• Eric Francis Lobo, Al Diar Dana Hotel

Eric has impressed his colleagues repeatedly by concocting various innovative F&B promotions to attract new custom to the property’s outlets.

The nomination also lauded his customer service skills and his commitment to offering guests excellent value for money, as well as his efforts in instituting various incentive schemes for the staff to achieve higher revenues.

 

 

Keep an eye on HME.com for the final shortlist, coming later this week, for our main award category — Chef of the Year!