With the launch of this year’s competition, it is time to cast your vote for the finest restaurants in Muscat
Founded in 2002, the Oman Today Restaurant Awards provide the public with an opportunity to vote for its favourite restaurants in Oman. It is a considerable coup for a restaurant to win one of the awards in the annual competition, which this year was launched at a ceremony on June 30 at the Al Bandar Hotel at the Shangri-La’s Barr al Jissah Resort and Spa.
The Oman Today Restaurant Awards began five years ago as
little more than a modest reception ceremony. With time the competition has expanded in size and scope �today, it is high profile and commands a great deal of interest. This year, the awards are sponsored by Bank Sohar, the main sponsor; and The Blue City (co-sponsor), with additional support from African and Eastern.
From July 15, voting forms will be available at all participating restaurants and hotels. Until September 14, voters can cast their votes either by leaving a completed form at a participating restaurant,
or by posting or faxing it to the Apex office. You can also vote online, at www.apexstuff.com/awards. Voting forms without a customer’s name, address and telephone number will be deemed invalid. Once the votes have been collated, the three finalists in each category will be judged anonymously by a panel of five expert judges. The judges will select the best of the three finalists in each category.
Last year represented a turning point in the way in which the event was organised. Previously, people cast their votes and the
winner in each category was that with the greatest number of votes. But this was reckoned to favour establishments with many chains (which inevitably receive more customers through the door and are therefore able to garner more votes). The Oman Today Restaurant Awards are meant to commend quality and good cooking �not the size of a restaurant or chain. The new format for adjudicating enables a single outlet to compete on a level platform with a
restaurant chain with many outlets. The number of votes gathered by a chain is now divided by the number of outlets it has in Muscat, and the resultant average is the basis for judging it against another restaurant with a single outlet.
The gala awards ceremony, scheduled to take place on December 5 at the Shangri-La’s Barr al Jissah Resort and Spa, will be the moment when the panel of judges is unveiled �and will also
provide an opportunity for the award winners to be suitably fêted.
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