Nottingham based insurers and financial advisors, The Wilson Organisation (Wilsons) have shown their support and confidence in the thriving Nottingham restaurant scene by securing their position as title sponsors of the Nottingham Restaurant Awards for the second consecutive year. After a record breaking year for the Nottingham Restaurant Awards and in the face of a much talked about recession Charlotte Prow, Joint Managing Director of The Wilson Organisation explains why it was an easy decision to sponsor the awards again.
“Nottingham’s restaurant scene has real strength in depth, with some exceptionally talented individuals, and is proving to be a sector with real buoyancy. We wanted to show our ongoing support for Nottingham restaurateurs and so it was a straightforward decision for us to continue our sponsorship of the Nottingham Restaurant Awards into a second year. We are all looking forward to working with the organisers and the restaurants to make the 2009 awards a real year to remember.”
Surpassing the standards set by the 2008 awards will be no mean feat. The number of public votes cast and received by independent adjudicator EMNET broke all previous records with a final tally of 42,052 votes.
Jocelyn Platt of organisers Big Table PR commented:
“We’re delighted with the response this year! Each year the event goes from strength to strength and generates more interest from restaurateurs and the general public. Seemingly Notts residents’ appetite for eating out hasn’t waned despite a supposed economic downturn and the demand for a good restaurant is a strong as ever.”
New offerings catering to that demand are the likes of Cumin, Umami and Vienna who have all opened within the past nine months within the city limits. Further a field the Lord Nelson in Burton Joyce (the second gastro pub to open under the Moleface Pub Co umbrella) and the Farndon Boathouse (the second country restaurant in the Tom Browns group) have both opened within the past few months. New openings are also in the pipeline including Restaurant 1877 (a new concept restaurant from newly formed team which includes ex head chef of Hart’s, Mark Osborne) which is due to open within the next month on Canning Circus in the old Ben Bowers landmark building.
Matt Saunders of The Fat Cat Group and the Moleface Pub Company believes the secret to success is the level of initial investment into the product and recognition of this, not necessarily the current economical climate:
“When Moleface Pub Co took on the Larwood and Voce they had a weekly turn over of £3000. We invested £200k into the pub, added a state-of-the-art kitchen with amazingly talented chefs, totally refurbished the interiors, expanded the spirit and real ales offerings and added cocktails. We created an environment that people are comfortable in and want to spend time in and have increased the weekly turnover to £23,500. The success of our first year of trading culminated in a hat trick at the Restaurant Awards which in turn increased the number of covers we were serving per week.
“We used the same business model for the Lord Nelson in Burton Joyce and within the first week took £16,500, whereas their previous weekly takings were £4000.”
Local commitment to a thriving industry is strong and with plans for the Nottingham Restaurant Awards 2009 already in motion the industry seems to be going against all predictions of a recession. Surprisingly in the current climate, confidence in the local restaurant industry from both restaurateurs and diners alike is present and could be attributed to the success of the Nottingham Restaurant Awards which champions the region’s industry.
Gary Thompson, proprietor of TONIC commented:
“In the face of tough economic trading conditions it is inevitable that some people will dine out less frequently. It is therefore more important than ever for restaurants attract new customers. The recognition that Tonic has received through first winning the Nottingham Restaurant Awards Best Newcomer 2007 and then following this up with Runner Up in The Nottingham Restaurant of The Year 2008 has played a key part in raising awareness of Tonic restaurant and attracting first time visitors. Turning those customers into regulars is then down to the quality of the food and service, the environment in which it is offered, and value for money – the fact that the restaurant is growing at almost 30% year on year suggests that Tonic has got this covered.”
Nottingham’s established and well executed newcomers are continuing to see growth during uncertain times and providing an important opportunity for employment within the catering industry. Latest figures released by Nottingham City Council indicate that restaurants and bars within the city employ 9,500 full and part time employees*. Of this figure 3,700 are employed on a full time basis and 5,800 as part time staff.
.
-- Ends --
*Nottingham City Council AB1 catering employee figures 2006 | 
