FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

THE SANTA RITA/ LIFE MAGAZINE
IRISH RESTAURANT AWARDS RECEIVES
RECORD NUMBER OF NOMINATIONS

NEARLY 10,000 VOTES WERE CAST BY PUBLIC IN FIRST ROUND OF VOTING

MARCH 21, 2013, DUBLIN, IRELAND.

The Santa Rita/ LIFE Magazine Irish Restaurant Awards 2013 has concluded its first round of voting, with nearly 10,000 nominations cast in a new record for the competition.

Regional nominations will be announced in the coming week, with County winners being announced at regional events in Connaught, Ulster, Munster and Leinster during the month of April.

Speaking on the awards, Restaurants Association of Ireland Chief Executive Adrian Cummins said that they continue to grow from strength to strength.

“Interest in the Irish Restaurant Awards has grown year on year, and as our awards are the only in Ireland to have a Mystery Judge element, we can really stand over the entire process. We are extremely lucky to once again have the strong partners in The Sunday Independent LIFE Magazine and Santa Rita on board.

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 weeks.”

Judging Process

Judging will now commence in the following main categories:

Restaurant of the Year
Best Hotel Restaurant
Best Casual Dining
Best Gastro Pub
Chef of the Year
Best Customer Service
Best Wine Experience
Best Kids Size Me
Local Food Hero 2013

Nominations for the awards were made by members of the public, going online for the first time at www.irishrestaurantawards.ie, and available through the Irish Independent’s website. All nominees are then assessed by Regional Judging panels, made up of Industry experts across the region. Votes from the consumer, members of the Restaurants Association of Ireland and the regional judges are independently assessed by KPMG who give us our County Winner in each category.

All County winners then compete for the Regional and All Ireland Title which will be announced at the Irish Restaurant Awards in the Burlington Hotel, Dublin on Wednesday 10th June 2013.
There are 3 components to phase two of the process. Each element is independently assessed by KPMG.
1. Mystery Guest Visit (55%) This component of the awards is conducted by Prism Consulting headed by Hugo Arnold, independent food writer and consultant. All County Winners receive a mystery guest visit throughout the month of April and May.
2. National Awards Academy (35%) Our National Awards Academy is made up representatives from each of the regional judging panels and will meet in May to Judge the County Winners.
3. Menu Judging (10%) All County winners and the Dublin Shortlist in each category are asked to submit a copy of their food menu and wine list for judging.

Industry Categories

Voting in the Industry categories will commence on April 5th. Voting in these categories is exclusive to Restaurants Association of Ireland members only, with members vying for prizes such as:

Best Club Restaurant
Best Seafood Experience
Best World Cuisine
Best Newcomer
Best Café
Most Innovative Restaurant
Best Restaurant Design
Best Cocktail Experience
Best Restaurant Manager
Best Cookery School
Best Supplier
Best Digital Marketing

The winners of the Industry Categories will be announced at the All-Ireland event on June 10th, 2013.

Regional Awards & Tickets

Regional Awards will be taking place on the following dates:
Connaught Awards April 9th The House Hotel, Galway
Ulster Awards April 17th The Merchant Hotel, Belfast
Munster Awards April 23rd The Imperial Hotel, Cork
Leinster Awards & AGM April 30th The Marker Hotel, Dublin

Tickets are priced at €30 for each of the regional events, and can be bought directly from Sinead on (01) 677 9901 or sinead@rai.ie.

ENDS

For further information contact:
Sinéad Cashin,
PR & Events Manager,
Irish Restaurant Awards,
Restaurants Association of Ireland
11 Bridge Court, Citygate,
St. Augustine Street, Dublin 8.

Mobile: +353 85 8071350
Telephone: +353 1 6779901
Email: sinead@rai.ie
Website: www.irishrestaurantawards.ie 
Twitter: @restawards
Facebook: www.facebook.ie/IrishRestaurantAwards

Adrian Cummins,
Chief Executive,
Restaurants Association of Ireland
11 Bridge Court, Citygate,
St. Augustine Street, Dublin 8.

Mobile: +353 86 8263311
Telephone: +353 1 6779901
Email: info@rai.ie
Website: www.rai.ie
Twitter: @rai_ie
Facebook: www.facebook.ie/RestaurantsAssociationOfIreland