“I was gobsmacked! To win the Best Café Restaurant North Coast/Northern Rivers was fabulous, and I was content, but then to win Best Breakfast Restaurant North Coast/Northern Rivers was the icing on the cake. I had no idea that there was more to come, so the major win just floored me,” business owner Donna Carrier said.

“It is a tough industry with tight margins and lots of competition, and these awards are recognition from our peers of our dedication to local produce, our high customer service standards and our hard work.  

“My staff was absolutely thrilled with the recognition, especially as we were up against some incredible cafes and restaurants. I would like to congratulate all the winners and finalists on the night, especially local winners Club Taree and Harrigans at Harrington,” she said.

The Manning Valley was well represented with Harrigan’s Irish Pub, Harrington winning NSW Regional Restaurant in a Pub/Club/Tavern and Club Taree taking home NSW Regional Function/Convention Centre Caterer. 

More than 900 local restaurants, cafés and catering businesses gathered to celebrate the achievements of their peers who were judged across 75 categories, with the winners announced at the Awards for Excellence ceremony held at Luna Park, Sydney.

The Awards for Excellence is a nationally recognised, independently judged awards program that celebrates exceptional service and culinary talent across the state. The Awards for Excellence is the only program in Australia where the judging criteria is determined by consumers who rank what is important to them in the dining experience.

The awards are judged by an independent team of trained judges who anonymously visit the venues to determine the winners. The scores are based on the entire dining experience from food to the customer service experienced when the judges anonymously dine.

“Bent on Food should be proud of their achievements. Running a hospitality business isn’t easy – there’s a lot of blood sweat and tears that goes into to making it work. But when you get the right mix of staff, produce and service, the results can be extraordinary,” Restaurant and Catering Australia CEO John Hart said.

Bent on Food will compete with other region finalists at the National Savour Australia Restaurant and Catering Hostplus Awards for Excellence to be held at Four Points Sheraton, Darling Harbour in Sydney on Monday, October 24, 2016. Finalists will be advised of their status by September 26.

Restaurant and Catering Australia is the industry association representing thousands of restaurant and catering businesses across Australia. To view the full list of category winners in the 2016  Awards for Excellence, visit the RandCA website at www.restaurantcater.asn.au.