The Restaurants Association of Ireland in association with Admailer.ie are delighted to announce the Top 10 Finalists of ‘Foodie Towns 2014’

Voting is NOW open! Click here to vote for YOUR ‘Foodie Town of Ireland’.

Top 10 Finalists: 

Cork City
Dingle/Daingean Uí Chuis
Galway City
Howth
Kilkenny
Kinsale
Lisdoonvarna – Gateway to the Burren
Loop Head Peninsula
Sligo Town
Westport & Clew Bay Area

The search for the Foodie Town of Ireland continues…

• Each of the ten finalists are now subject to a pre-arranged visit to the town by independent assessors, to include a representative from the Restaurants Association of Ireland and An Post.
• A national public voting campaign will also take place, with each of the ten finalists canvassing the country to vote for them.
• Online voting will take place via www.foodiestowns.ie from Friday, May 2nd at 12noon.
• Special Admailer.ie voting postcards will be sent out in each of the finalists’ local areas.
• Voting opens Friday, May 2nd and closes Friday May 16th (via Admailer postcard votes) and Sunday May 18th (online votes).  Only one vote per person will be counted/permitted.
• The final decision will be made by combining the judges’ votes with the public vote that carry equal weight – both components account for 50% of the overall mark a town receives.
• The ultimate ‘Foodie Town of Ireland 2014’ will be announced on June 9th at the final of the Irish Restaurant Awards in the DoubleTree by Hilton, Dublin.

The Search

The Restaurants Association of Ireland, in conjunction with Admailer.ie from An Post, are on the search for Ireland’s premier foodie destination. Ten towns/destinations from all over the country will battle it out to be named Ireland’s top town for a foodie experience.

The Town

The ‘Foodie Town of Ireland’ award will recognise a destination that actively promotes itself through joint promotional activities such as food festivals, gourmet trails or farmers’ markets as well as great dining experiences.  The winning Irish town will have established a local producer/supplier network which is utilised and promoted by local businesses. Plans for future growth and investment into the food and hospitality industry at a local level will also be taken into consideration by judges. Education, training, development and employment will be key components of the ultimate foodie destination.

The Prize!

The winning town will be crowned ‘Foodie Town 2014’ at the final of the Irish Restaurant Awards on June 9th , and will receive a prize package worth €5,000 combining an Admailer.ie postcard marketing package and mentorship from senior An Post marketing executives to help raise the profile of their town. The nine runners up will each receive an Admailer.ie prize package to value of €500 each.