The nominations for the Marketing Derby Food and Drink Awards are open.
The awards are designed to shed light on Derby’s bustling food and beverage sector, and nominations from members of the public, business executives and restaurant facility owners are welcome.
The nomination period is open for four weeks, after which a shortlist of the finalists will be drawn up before the final winners will be announced on Monday, October 18, at a ceremony in the Chocolate Factory, home of the Bustler Market.
John Forkin, General Manager of Marketing Derby said, “The impact of the pandemic on the hospitality industry makes these awards more important than ever.
“We are very excited to see who will be nominated in this sector, which is important for the city.”
The awards consist of 12 categories – many of them new.
10 of the 12 categories can be nominated.
The winners of the overall winner of the Marketing Derby Food and Drink Awards for 2021 and the award for outstanding achievement will be announced that evening.
Entrants in all categories, with the exception of the Country Pub / Restaurant Award, should be based in the Greater Derby region.
Nominations can be made through the Marketing Derby website.
After the nomination period has expired, submissions will be used to select three finalists in each category, with the exception of the Excellence in Customer Service category, which will have a shortlist of six.
The winner of this category will be chosen by the audience.
With regard to the other categories, representatives of each sponsor evaluate their own category, which includes “mystery shopping” for all three finalists and evaluates them according to defined criteria.
In Castleward, at the intersection of John Street and Siddals Road, The Chocolate Factory offers around 30,000 m² of space for events such as beer festivals, weddings, corporate events, away days and craft fairs.
With an in-house bar, huge TV screens and enough seating for 1,500 people, The Chocolate Factory is run by the team behind the Bustler Market, a regular street food market.
Managing Director Liv Pritchard said: “We are very excited to be hosting the Food and Drink Awards this year.
“We have long believed this should be an important date for the hospitality industry in and around Derby and we look forward to making it a great celebration at the end of an incredibly challenging time for our industry.
“We’re proud to be working on it with Marketing Derby and can’t wait to celebrate with everyone in October.”
Marketing Derby is a public-private partnership established to raise the city and county profile and attract investment.