CGA has unveiled the shortlists for its 2018 Peach Hero & Icon Awards, honouring dozens of outstanding operators across the out-of-home eating and drinking markets.
The shortlists feature around 50 different brands and companies, plus six individuals, in 14 categories that cover the broad spectrum of restaurants, pubs, bars and cafés. Businesses with multiple nominations include Dishoom, Wagamama, Caravan, Leon, Cote and JD Wetherspoon.
Emerging concepts bidding for the Newcomer award, demonstrating the continuing flow of innovation in the sector, include Albion & East, Blacklock, Farmer J, Flight Club, The Florist and Vagabond Wine, while contenders for Breakthrough Brand include ambitious operations such as Grind, Pizza Pilgrims, Mowgli, Sticks’n’Sushi, Temper and The Ivy Collection.
Top bosses vying for the Industry Leader accolade this year are London Union’s Jonathan Downey, New World Trading’s Chris Hill, Wagamama’s Jane Holbrook, Ed Martin from ETM, Whitbread’s Alison Brittain and Dishoom founders Kavi and Shamil Thakrar.
Together, the shortlists present a who’s who of operators setting the standards for others to follow in this vibrant industry. All 14 Hero Awards winners will receive their trophies at a special dinner to follow this year’s Peach 2020 Conference at The Brewery in London on 21 November.
The invitation-only conference and presentation dinner is the industry’s top networking event of the year and will be attended by around 300 company directors and owner-operators.
As well as the Hero Awards, the evening will see the presentation of CGA’s Peach Icon Awards, given to individuals who have left a major mark on the out-of-home eating and drinking sectors. There are no shortlists for these Awards.
Awards founder and host for the evening, Peter Martin said, “These shortlists are packed with the brands and people who continue to push our industry forward despite the myriad of challenges it faces, and we salute them all.
'Competition for our awards is as tough as ever this year, as is the market itself, demonstrating the creativity, diversity and dynamism to be found in the out-of-home food and drink market. We are looking forward to celebrating with the winners and all shortlisted operators at our Conference and Awards on 21 November.”