This time of year heralds many fine noises: jingling bells, carol singers, the slightly panicky gobble of turkeys and the distinct sound of knives being sharpened as the awards season grinds into gear. Up and down the land, sales and PR bods wear their fingerpads to the bone conference-calling favoured and not-so-favoured clients, wooing them with promises of shiny gold statues – or perhaps carrots – to display in reception, testament to their excellence in toilet hygiene or decor aesthetics. But, frankly, does it make a difference to you?
Forgive us if we sound a little weary, but can the award system be getting a little, well, out of hand? We've all heard of Michelin and The Good Food Guide and The AA and theoretically, they give us a benchmark, a set of standards we can trust to deliver us a fine meal. But why stop there? What about The National Restaurant Awards? The World's 50 Best Restaurants? The Scottish/North-East/Eat Sheffield/Kent Restaurant Awards? Have you any idea who wins? Do you follow it religiously, hoping each podium winner will reveal another hidden gem to uncover near you? Even your local takeaway has no doubt started displaying numerous stickers on their windows, announcing their membership of some allegedly bona fide organisation of quality to encourage you to order their sweet-and-sour. It is with interest we note the Sustainable Restaurant Awards holds its inaugural ceremony next year; a worthy and at least unique event and perhaps of interest to a few, but will it influence where you go for dinner?
The question is, is it worth taking any notice? Aren't all these award ceremonies undermining the ones determining genuine quality? We've blogged before on whether Michelin and its ilk are still relevant in the UK's restaurant scene, but they have spawned a flotilla of PR-initiated, PR-hungry functions that seem to be little more than industry back-slapping and that very few customers are even aware of, let alone follow. If the customers aren't particularly interested, what, we ask, is the point? It's simply a barrage of largely pointless information that doesn't inform the customer of the standards the restaurant had to reach, the height of the bar, so to speak or give any clue what the restaurant achieved and how. If we don't know the standards in the competition, how can we judge the winner?
Over to you. Have you ever sought out a restaurant that won an award? Do they mean anything to you or are you just in search of a good meal? Isn't it time the industry got rid of some of the flim-flam and simply got down to trying to be the best rather than telling itself it is?
There are special times in our lives when we desire more than what's on the plate. And we pay exceptionally for the occasion. So, on an ordinary 'eating only' day, good food, beverages, access for all, and clean toilets, is a shorter route to meeting our needs. Ambiance is a joint effort between customer and staff. Each feeds the other.
In the last year I have been stunned by the crassness experienced both in food, drinks and service in two separate over stated designer restaurants. Each brought the food to 6 of 7 diners, and left the solitary diner without food for so long it was a pointless exercise. One of the restaurants had flaming torches outside, gleaming plate glass, glossy wall ceramics, boutique style tableware and no food for one of a party of diners out on a birthday celebration. The other was a renovation/new restaurant plus deli. No one knew how to make the cocktails, food was offered, ordered and not in the kitchen and two people sat without food until almost the end of the meal. The well known 'chef' who launched the enterprise had worked for ten weeks and gone on holiday the night before our meal. And it all fell apart. They have spent a fortune on the interior and exterior and advertising when they can't deliver food or drinks to a table of 7. Awards are an indication of someone wanting to stand apart from the rest. Some businesses work very hard to keep their visitors well fed. Their prices usually reflect the award status. Businesses can put their award plaques on the walls and sell up. Visited a country guest house last year which had a porch full of award plaques,Johansens included. It was me, a guest, who emptied the two overflowing, stinking ashtrays in that porch!!!!!And looked outside for ten minutes for the bins. Check the places out on good review sites, and ask the local people. Bling and/or awards do not guarantee anything on the day.
There are special times in our lives when we desire more than what's on the plate. And we pay exceptionally for the occasion. So, on an ordinary 'eating only' day, good food, beverages, access for all, and clean toilets, is a shorter route to meeting our needs. Ambiance is a joint effort between customer and staff. Each feeds the other. In the last year I have been stunned by the crassness experienced both in food, drinks and service in two separate over stated designer restaurants. Each brought the food to 6 of 7 diners, and left the solitary diner without food for so long it was a pointless exercise. One of the restaurants had flaming torches outside, gleaming plate glass, glossy wall ceramics, boutique style tableware and no food for one of a party of diners out on a birthday celebration. The other was a renovation/new restaurant plus deli. No one knew how to make the cocktails, food was offered, ordered and not in the kitchen and two people sat without food until almost the end of the meal. The well known 'chef' who launched the enterprise had worked for ten weeks and gone on holiday the night before our meal. And it all fell apart. They have spent a fortune on the interior and exterior and advertising when they can't deliver food or drinks to a table of 7. Awards are an indication of someone wanting to stand apart from the rest. Some businesses work very hard to keep their visitors well fed. Their prices usually reflect the award status. Businesses can put their award plaques on the walls and sell up. Visited a country guest house last year which had a porch full of award plaques,Johansens included. It was me, a guest, who emptied the two overflowing, stinking ashtrays in that porch!!!!!And looked outside for ten minutes for the bins. Check the places out on good review sites, and ask the local people. Bling and/or awards do not guarantee anything on the day.