Caterer Awards: TEAM & OUTLET WINNERS
After a long process of whittling down the hundreds of nominations submitted by outlets around the region, a panel of industry experts has selected the winners for the inaugural Caterer Middle East Awards.
The shortlists across 20 hotly-contested categories have been announced online over the past three weeks — and now the winners are set to be revealed this week.
A trophy presentation ceremony and photo shoot with the winners will feature in the December issue of Caterer Middle East.
Today’s winners in the Caterer Middle East Awards 2009, sponsored by The Hotel Show, are in our team and outlet categories: Restaurant Team, Bar Team and Kitchen Team of the Year, as well as Restaurant of the Year, Bar of the Year and Event Catering Achievement of the Year.
Read on to find out who has won…
KITCHEN TEAM OF THE YEAR
This award aims to recognise excellent team spirit and team work in a kitchen workforce — a group that has excelled in supporting and assisting each other in training and general day-to-day tasks.
The shortlist for this category included:
• Emirates Flight Catering EKFC1
• Main kitchen, Jumeirah Emirates Towers
• Main kitchen, Courtyard by Marriott, Kuwait
• Sofra Bld, Shangri-la Qaryat Al Beri
• Main kitchen, Ramses Hilton
The winning team has demonstrated the clear ability to work to deadlines under great pressure and produce a huge volume of food to exacting standards.
The kitchen members in this group have also demonstrated incredible versatility, and the judges praised their dedication, commitment and camaraderie.
The winner of Kitchen Team of the Year 2009 is….
• Emirates Flight Catering EKFC1
Highly commended were the teams from Jumeirah Emirates Towers and Ramses Hilton.
Read on to find out who has won the Bar Team of the Year title…
BAR TEAM OF THE YEAR
Often working in busy, high-pressure situations, a top bar team must naturally demonstrate excellent team work to enable them to run operations more smoothly.
They must also demonstrate a thorough knowledge of the menu and any ingredients used for drinks, along with the ability to comfortably make recommendations and chat with customers or problem-solve where necessary, resulting in a loyal customer base.
The shortlisted nominees were:
• Tamanya Terrace, Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Media City
• Harry Ghatto's Bar, Jumeirah Emirates Towers
• Pearl Lounge Club, Doha Marriott Hotel
Judges commented on the cheery attitude and proactive approach to service demonstrated by the winning bar team, which marked them out as driven and dedicated professionals.
Testimonials from the whole team indicated a positive spirit and high level of commitment to both the guests and the business itself.
The winner of the Bar Team of the Year title is….
• Tamanya Terrace, Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Media City
Read on to find out who has won the Restaurant Team of the Year title…
RESTAURANT TEAM OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by Tulsidas Lalchand
In our Restaurant Team of the Year, we were looking for excellent team spirit and team work, as well as dedication to driving revenue for their outlet.
Each member of the group should display a thorough knowledge of the menu and ingredients used, along with the ability to comfortably make recommendations and chat with customers or problem-solve where necessary, resulting in a loyal customer base.
We also felt that this group should be confident in up-selling, driving promotions and working in busy situations; be happy to work closely with back-of-house; and should show enthusiasm for undertaking training and developing new skills.
Cutting down the nominations was particularly tough for this popular category, with many deserving submissions — but finally, six teams were picked out for the shortlist:
• Rodeo Grill Restaurant and Bar, Al Bustan Rotana Dubai
• Okku Restaurant and Lounge, The Monarch Dubai
• Al Tannour, Crowne Plaza Dubai
• Reflets par Pierre Gagnaire, InterContinental Hotel Dubai Festival City
• Ruth's Chris Steak House, The Monarch Dubai
• Sense on the Edge, Six Senses Hideaway, Zighy Bay
All members of the winning restaurant team were hired based on their personality, manners and attitude — a method which, thanks to solid in-house training and the passion and dedication shown by senior team members, has paid off.
The team demonstrated evident enthusiasm to learn, while judges praised their constant determination to exceed customer expectations, as well as the personalised approach to service.
The winner of the Restaurant Team of the Year 2009 is….
• Reflets par Pierre Gagnaire, InterContinental Hotel Dubai Festival City
Highly commended were Rodeo Grill Restaurant and Bar, Al Bustan Rotana Dubai and Ruth’s Chris Steak House at The Monarch Dubai.
Read on to find out who has won the Event Catering Achievement of the Year title…
EVENT CATERING ACHIEVEMENT OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by Airstar
Open to any company or group that catered for an event this year, this title wanted to recognise the achievements of a group that had truly ‘wowed’ guests and clients by thinking outside the box.
The winner needed to demonstrate innovative menu planning, carefully considered food and beverage options and to have successfully worked to time constraints, fulfilling all client and consumer demands.
The shortlist comprised three industry heavyweights:
• Indoor Ramadan tent, JW Marriott Dubai
• 2009 Dubai Jazz Festival, Al Bustan Rotana Dubai
• Zayed Future Energy Prize, Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Deira Creek
The winning team gave their all, providing food for a 30,000-strong audience over the course of the event — a task they achieved with huge effort, minimum fuss and to great customer satisfaction.
The winner of the Event Catering Acheivement of the Year title is…
• 2009 Dubai Jazz Festival, Al Bustan Rotana Dubai
Read on to find out who has won the Bar of the Year title…
BAR OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by Procurio
Our top bar of 2009 had to be an outlet that had shown clear positive growth this year —through a variety of means, including but not limited to profit.
We asked to hear about staff progression, menu development, innovative measures to promote cost-efficiency during the downturn, successful promotions and team development to help the judges make their choice.
Three nominations made the shortlist:
• Trader Vic's Mai Tai Lounge, The Walk
• Belgian Beer Café, Crowne Plaza Dubai Festival City
• Left Bank, Souk Al Bahar
Our winning bar’s ongoing promotions and marked attention to menu development has seen it remain busy and successful during a difficult period.
Staff were praised for their team spirit and commitment to the brand and its clientele — attributes built up thanks to strong training and incentive programmes that have been put in place.
The winner of Caterer’s Bar of the Year Award in 2009 is…
• Left Bank, Souk Al Bahar
Read on to find out who has won the Restaurant of the Year title…
RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by Royal Culimer
The hotly-contested Restaurant of the Year category demanded a winner that had demonstrated clear positive growth in 2009, across a variety of areas.
After much deliberation, five contenders made it onto the shortlist:
• Wagamama, Al Fattan Towers
• The Rib Room, Jumeirah Emirates Towers
• Corniche, Doha Marriott Hotel
• Samak, Desert Islands Resort and Spa
• Okku Restaurant and Lounge at The Monarch Dubai
Our winner’s rigorous recruitment and training of its staff indicated its commitment to excellence, with the nomination pointing out the brand’s efforts to look after its staff — through top accommodation, ongoing training and career progression prospects, internal promotions and recognition programmes.
Judges were also impressed by the outlet’s high retention record and the attention to customer service delivered.
The winner of Restaurant of the Year 2009 is…
• Okku Restaurant and Lounge at The Monarch Dubai
Highly commended were The Rib Room, Jumeirah Emirates Towers and Corniche, Doha Marriott Hotel.
A huge congratulations to all our winners and runners up.
Keep an eye on HME.com all this week to find out who else has been chosen as one of Caterer’s industry champions of 2009!