To be recognised by the fish and chip industry as the Restaurant of the Year will soon become a reality for one UK business, as the five category finalists are named for the 2024 award.
Things are heating up for the five fish and chip restaurants in Norfolk, Somerset, Gloucestershire, Bristol and Devon. Over the last couple of months, well-respected names from the fish and chip industry have challenged the businesses, with deep-dive explorations to analyse their sector knowledge, implementation of industry best practice and employer responsibilities, to name a few of the benchmarks.
Eric’s Fish and Chips in Hunstanton, Knights Fish Restaurant in Glastonbury, Cirencester’s Malt and Anchor, Noah’s in Bristol and Torquay-based Pier Point Restaurant will now be on tenterhooks to see if they will be the victorious recipient of the National Fish and Chip Awards’ Restaurant of the Year gong.
President of the National Federation of Fish Friers, and awards organiser, Andrew Crook, says of the lineup: “Congratulations to our five finalists! Restaurant of the Year has once again been a very popular category and it has been a great pleasure to gain a better understanding of each business and learn about the people who serve top-quality meals to happy customers. Their unshakeable dedication to the foodservice industry has seen them reach the final stages and we couldn’t be happier for them.”
Björgvin Þór Björgvinsson, project manager at Seafood from Iceland, sponsor of the category award, comments on the remarkable efforts of the finalists. “The competitors have thoroughly impressed us all and deserve to be lauded for their contributions to the fish and chip industry. They are at the top of their game and Seafood from Iceland will follow them all closely to see how they continue to push the boundaries of fish and chip excellence going forward.”
The mystery visits portion of the judging is up next, and the pressure will be on for the five chippies to maintain great standards and customer service, as this will seal the fate for who takes the crown.
The winner will be announced at the National Fish and Chip Awards ceremony on 28 February 2024 at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge in London.
For more information and bits on the National Fish and Chip Awards, please visit: www.thefishandchipawards.com.