Irish Restaurant Awards 2011 National Finals - Full Results & More !

For 2012 Irish Restaurant Awards - go to Homepage

It was a night of surprises - and for some, no surprise, but I'll let that sit...

Chapter One scooped the Best Restaurant Award & Mickael Viljanen, Head Chef at Gregans Castle is crowned Best Chef in Ireland! What a Night!

The Undisputed : Mr Mickael Viljanen

At the Santa Rita/Sunday Independent Irish Restaurant Awards 2011 in the Burlington Hotel, Wednesday 25^th March 2011, over 700 industry peers attended the awards ceremony where the regional and All Ireland winners were announced in the following categories:

Industry:

Best Seafood Experience 2011                 O’ Grady’s on the Pier, Barna, Co. Galway

Best Ethnic Restaurant 2011                     Rasam, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin

Best Newcomer 2011                                The Fatted Calf, Glasson, Co. Westmeath

Best Cocktail Experience 2011                 Saba, Dublin

Best Restaurant Design 2011                    Ely Bar and Brasserie, Dublin

Best Coffee Experience 2011                    Fallon and Byrne, Exchequer St, Dublin

Best Practice in Environmental 2011        Radisson Hotel, Dublin Airport

Best Restaurant Website 2011                  Seapoint, Monkstown, Dublin

Best Club Restaurant 2011                        Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club, Dublin

Best Supplier 2011                                    Keeling’s

Best Cookery School 2011                        The Tannery, Dungarvan, Co. Waterford

Best Innovation 2011                                O’ Brien Chop House, Co. Waterford

Best Food Producer 2011                         Silverhill Foods

Most Informative Menu 2011                    Bodega, Co. Waterford

Local Food Hero 2011                              Jack McCarthy, McCarthy’s of Kanturk



photo by @italianfoodie


The Regional Winners are:
Best Chef
                        Ulster                Noel McMeel, Lough Erne Resort
                        Munster             Mickael Viljanen, Gregans Castle

            Dublin                Kevin Thornton, Thornton’s

                        Leinster             Billy Whitty, Aldridge Lodge
                        Connaught        Philippe Farineau, Mount Falcon

Best Restaurant      

            Ulster                MacNean House and Restaurant

            Munster            The Tannery

            Dublin               Chapter One

            Leinster             Campagne

            Connaught         Asian Tea House

Best Casual Dining 

            Ulster                La Boca

            Munster            La Cucina

            Dublin               Michie Sushi

            Leinster             L’Olivier

            Connaught         Bar 8

Best Customer Service           

            Ulster               Harvey’s Point

            Munster            Gregans Castle

            Dublin               Chapter One

            Leinster             Chakra by Jaipur

            Connaught         Lough Inagh Lodge

Best Hotel Restaurant      

            Ulster               Snaffles Brasserie Castle Leslie

            Munster            Gregans Castle

            Dublin              The Cellar Restaurant, The Merrion Hotel

            Leinster            The Strawberry Tree, Brooklodge Wells and Spa

            Connaught        The Kitchen Restaurant, Mount Falcon

Best Gastro Pub     

            Ulster                Harry’s Bar

            Munster            Cronin’s Pub

            Dublin               L. Mulligan Grocer

             Leinster            Fallons

            Connaught        O’Dowd’s Bar and Seafood Restaurant

Best Wine Experience     

Dublin               The Winding Stair

And The Overall Winners are:

Best Restaurant 2011                Chapter One

Best Chef 2011                         Mickael Viljanen for Gregans Castle

Best Customer Service 2011      Gregans Castle

Best Casual Dining 2011            La Cucina

Best Hotel Restaurant 2011        Gregans Castle

Best Wine Experience 2011        Jacques at Greenacres

Best Gastro Pub 2011                Harry’s Bar

Local Food Hero 2011                 Jack McCarthy’s, McCarthy’s of Kanturk 

photo by @italianfoodie

A Super Supper was Served!

Guests on the night were treated to a five-course menu prepared by the winning Chefs in each of the five regions in 2010. This year’s event saw legends of the Foodie world: Danny Millar (Balloo House), Garret Byrne (Champagne), Seamus Commons (Knockranny House), Paul Flynn (The Tannery) and Eamonn O’ Reilly (One Pico) prepare a sumptuous meal for over 700 guests at a glittering black tie event – a fantastic celebration of all that is great in the Irish Restaurant Industry.

photo by @italianfoodie

A Highlight in the Restaurant Calendar

The Irish Restaurant Awards are organised by The Restaurants Association of Ireland and are sponsored by Santa Rita & Sunday Independent LIFE Magazine.

This year’s event recognized achievement and excellence in the Restaurant and Hospitality Industry, throughout the whole island of Ireland, in 22 categories. The awards celebrate all aspects of the Industry from Chefs, Restaurants, Food Producers, Cookery Schools and even Local Food Heroes!

photo by @italianfoodie

Readers of the Sunday Independent LIFE Magazine and members of the Restaurants Association of Ireland put forward nominations for the awards. The awards process ran from the beginning of February 2011 until the 25^th of May 2011 whereby nominated Restaurants faced scrutiny from the Consumer, Regional Judges, a Mystery Guest Visitor and finally the National Awards Academy. The County winners were announced at a number of Regional events, over the last few months, in the run up to the Main Event last night in the Burlington Hotel Dublin.

Don’t Forget to Feed the Fish at the bottom of this post!

zack

Irish Restauranteurs believe the 'Jobs Initiative' is a move in the right direction

The Restaurants Association of Ireland (RAI) which represents over 700 restaurants with over 63,000 employees in the restaurant sector, today welcomed the many positive measures in the Government's Jobs Initiative and the "decisive way in which the government has moved to support the tourism sector, boost confidence and get people back to work and revitalise the tourism sector."

Vat on Tourism-Related Products from 13.5% to 9%

Adrian Cummins, CEO of the Restaurants Association of Ireland said  “Many of the initiatives announced today will have a positive impact on the Irish Tourism Industry. The cut in VAT, by 4.5%, will provide a significant boost to the tourism and hospitality sectors. It is a sensible approach to have a meaningful VAT reduction of a targeted nature, rather than a very small cut spread more thinly. I will instruct my members to pass the VAT reduction on to consumers from 1 July 2011 in line with the introduction of the new VAT rate. The tourism sector can make a substantial contribution to our economic recovery."

Joint Labour Committees

The Irish Restaurant Sector plans to create 4000 new jobs if Joint Labour Committees are abolished.

On this point Mr Cummins added, "The absence of a government decision on the outcome of the independent review of ERO and REA wage setting mechanisms is disappointing and needs to be taken as a matter of great urgency.”

Air Travel Tax Reduction Abolished
The Restaurants Association also welcomed the plans to abolish the €3 travel tax. "Abolishing the air travel tax will further enhance Ireland’s offering. The airlines must also play their part in making Ireland as attractive a destination as possible for overseas tourists."

Lower PRSI rate
Mr Cummins also welcomed the 50% reduction in the lower PRSI rate from 8.5% to 4.25% on jobs paying up to €356 per week (with effect from 1 July).

For more on this visit the Restaurants Association of Ireland website at http://www.rai.ie/


Don't forget to Feed the Fish at the bottom of this post!
zack

RAI say Irish Restaurant Sector will create 4000 new jobs if Joint Labour Committees are Abolished

Jobs Initiative Launches 9th May 2011

Irish Restaurant Sector will create 4000 new jobs

if Joint Labour Committees are Abolished.

Question for Competition Authority of Ireland :

Are Joint Labour Committees are Anti-Competitive?

Potential 1000 Work Placement Apprenticeship schemes in Restaurants.

The Restaurant Association of Ireland (RAI), the body representing the interests of Ireland’s restaurant industry today urged Government to abolish the Catering Joint Labour Committee (JLC), as part of today's Jobs Initiative' and to immediately scrap Sunday Premiums Payments.
The JLC sets minimum terms and conditions of employment in the catering sector above and beyond the national minimum wage, including premium payment for weekend and overtime work. An independent review of these wage rules is being conducted as part of the agreement with the EU and IMF.

Adrian Cummins, CEO, Restaurants Association of Ireland

Restaurant Association of Ireland Chief Executive, Adrian Cummins, says that the current Joint Labour Committee system results in an effective minimum wage ranging from €9.32 per hour for restaurants. He said, “The current system makes absolutely no sense for our country as we try to work our way out of the depths of an economic crisis. The economic situation in Ireland has changed dramatically but the JLC system has not taken this into account in any way.  It is forcing restaurants, which are struggling to survive and in many cases operating at loss, to pay a premium over and above the national minimum wage.”

Results from a survey of Restaurants, conducted by the Restaurants Association of Ireland last week, showed that Catering Employment Regulation Orders imposed by Joint Labour Committees were creating a barrier to employment.

37.2% of Restaurants surveyed Close on Sunday due to Sunday Premium Payments.

85% of Restaurants surveyed stated that they would employ a minimum of 2 more staff if Employment Regulation Orders set by Joint Labour Committees were scrapped.

Adrian Cummins stated that if 85% of the 2500 licenced restaurants in the country employed 2 more staff, the Restaurant sector would yield over 4000 new jobs for the Government.

A Question for Competition Authority of Ireland:
Are Joint Labour Committees Anti-Competitive?

The Restaurants Association of Ireland also has questioned why the Competition Authority of Ireland hasn’t intervened in the discussion regarding the Review of the Joint Labour Committees set up by the Department of Enterprise, Jobs and Innovation.

“The Restaurants Association of Ireland were taken aback by the non-engagement by the Competition Authority of Ireland in the Review of the Joint Labour Committees. You have to question if the Department of Enterprise, Jobs and Innovation who are the parent Department of the Competition Authority of Ireland didn’t want the obvious question answered. Are the Employment Regulation Orders Anti-Competitive or not. ?”

Potential 1000 Work Placement Apprenticeship schemes in Restaurants.

The Restaurants Association of Ireland also outlined the possibility of taking a further 1000 unemployed off the
Live Register under a Restaurant Work placement Apprenticeship scheme.
“The Restaurant Sector are willing to develop a Restaurant Work placement Apprenticeship scheme in association with Failte Ireland, FAS and Department of Social Protection that gives employers the financial incentive to take on apprentices and helps participants protect their social welfare entitlements. The current work placement scheme run by FAS is unworkable for the restaurant sector.”

1: Unfair Joint Labour Committee System must be Abolished-
Or More Jobs will be Lost.

• Abolishing Catering Joint Labour Committee Minimum rates. Ireland is 54% higher than Spain and 23% Higher than UK.
• The Restaurant Association of Ireland maintains that the national minimum wage should be the sole statutory minimum wage in Ireland so as to provide fairness for all employers and foster job creation. This would replace the array of legal wage rates established by the JLC process which imposes legally binding conditions of employment to which other economic sectors are not subject.
• Most Expensive Country in EU to run a Restaurant.

3. Abolishing the Sunday Premium Scheme.

• Irealnd is the Only Country in Europe that pay a premium
• Restaurant Owners pay 33% wage premium on a Sunday.

The Irish Restaurant industry employs 64,000 people (1 in 4 tourism jobs) and contributes €2 billion to the Irish economy each year.

• Irish restaurateurs pay the  highest catering wage rate in Europe 
• Ireland has the highest excise duty on wines in Europe 
• Irish food cost inputs are 24% above the European average.
  (source ‘Cost Of Food Preparation Report’, commissioned by Fáilte Ireland) 

The Joint Labour Committee system was established under the Industrial Relations Act 1946, but has its origins in the Trade Board Act 1909.  

European National Minimum Wage Rates 2011
Country	€ per Hour
Luxembourg	10.14
Ireland Catering ERO	9.32
France	9.00
Netherlands	8.22
Belgium	8.16
Ireland Minimum Wage	7.65
U K Minimum Wage	7.06
Austria	6.73
Cyprus	4.85
Greece	4.27
Spain	4.01
Malta	3.84
Slovenia	3.06
Portugal	2.80
Slovak	1.83
Estonia	1.60

For further information on this data contact:
Adrian Cummins - CEO Restaurant Association of Ireland
http://www.rai.ie/ 
Mobile: 086 8263311

Ed's note - Many of the staff employed in the Irish Tourism Industry are not in a union and therefore do not avail of the Sunday Premium payment.
Don't Forget to feed the Fish at the bottom of this post!
zack