OMAN TODAY RESTAURANT AWARDS 2006
Anonymous judges keep finalists on the edge of their seats in the second round of the awards

The 87,000 odd votes have been cast, the finalists selected and announced. Round two of the awards is well under way and the judges are out picking the winners from among the finalists. The mood is upbeat as restaurants across the city gear up in the run up to the big day in December. Yet no one quite knows what to expect, now that the familiar voting-only format has been discarded for a combination of voting and anonymous judges. And this is egging the finalists on further in its efforts to make the grab for the top slot in each of the 11 award categories.

Describing the awards as a well-received event in Oman, Gautam Moudgill, general manager, Mumtaz Mahal, says that it helps every individual involved in the industry maintain focus. "Everyone is kept on their toes thanks to the awards and its new format. From the manager to the janitor we cannot afford to cut any slack now." His thoughts are echoed by Subhro Chakraborty, senior supervisor, Golden Oryx – last year's winner in the Far Eastern category. "The mystery element over who the judges might be and when they might visit the restaurant is an important part of this new format. It has been keeping us on our toes," he says. “Earlier we used to know that once the voting phase was over we would have nothing more to do but wait for the results. Now we will be on tenterhooks right up to the night before the event." He feels that this will help the industry by providing impetus to outperform each other and result in better products and services for the customer. As to his hopes and expectations as a finalist he says, "We won the award last year and we are very positive about our prospects this year as well."

York Brandes, general manager, The Chedi, feels that the anonymity of the judges helps to keep the hotel’s food and beverage department on their toes. "The hotel would love to win the award in the Best Service category but this is primarily an award for the food and beverage department more than anything else. It works as a fantastic motivator for the staff. We have not introduced anything new in view of the awards as such but we feel that the very concept of The Restaurant is an advantage that we enjoy over other competitors," he says. "Besides, the inclusion of judges is only fair and a step in the right direction. It is important to include the public at large through voting but this new format combining it with a panel of judges is a better way of conducting the awards."