The World Restaurant Awards which will be held for the first time in Paris on 18 February will have 12 big plate awards and 6 small plate awards that will change on a yearly basis in consultation with the judging panel.
The awards, the brainchild of Joe Warwick who is the creative director and Andrea Petrini, the chair of the judging panel has a list of 100 judges which include some of the top names in the restaurant world as well as top international food writers from around the world.
Joe Warwick is an editor, writer, broadcaster and co-founder of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants. The third edition of his bestselling international restaurant guide ‘Where Chefs Eat’ has just been published. He says we should ‘Expect The World Restaurant Awards to be conducted with complete integrity and make everyone think about the full gamut of the world’s great restaurants – old and new, from luxury destinations to humble institutions – and what makes them so special.’
Andrea Petrini is also an editor, writer, broadcaster and creator of the ground breaking gastronomic roadshow that is Gelinaz!, its rotating cast a mix of the world’s greatest chefs and the very latest culinary talent. He says ‘We’d like to make The World Restaurant Awards about the pleasure of eating, drinking, travelling and forward thinking. Not the Nobel Prize for food but rather our take on the idea of an Oscars for the restaurant world, with all the sense of zeitgeist and glamour that implies.’
The first awards will be divided into 18 different categories and include a section that is bound to bring a smile on many faces while at the same time recognising contemporary cultural nuances by acknowledging the pivotal role social media now plays in the restaurant world while with tongue firmly in cheek, attempting to subvert current gastronomic fashion with awards such as ‘Red Wine-Serving Restaurant’, ‘Tattoo-Free Chef’ and ‘Tweezer-Free Kitchen’; and also make of point of championing tradition, both culinary and literary, with ‘Trolley of the Year’ and ‘Long-Form Journalism.’
The Awards include categories like restaurant of the year, arrival of the year, house special, off-map destination and original thinking among others.
The World Restaurant Awards are owned and produced by IMG, a leading events, media, fashion and sports company, operating in more than 30 countries. The company owns, operates or commercially represents more than 800 events around the world, including the Taste platform and other flagship culinary properties such as Margaret River Gourmet Escape and The Big Festival.
IMG is part of the Endeavor (formerly WME | IMG) network. Named one of Fortune’s 25 Most Important Private Companies, Endeavor is a world leading entertainment business with the unrivalled capability to create and distribute some of the world’s most watched content.
Endeavor is comprised of a number of industry-leading companies including: WME, Frieze, UFC, Droga5, Miss Universe Organisation and The Wall Group, among many others.
The World Restaurant award categories for 2019 are:
Restaurant of the Year
Chosen from the winners of the other 2019 ‘Large Plates’
Arrival of the Year
Restaurants opened between Sept 1, 2017 and Sept 30, 2018
House Special
Restaurants defined by one particular dish
Off-Map Destination
Remote restaurants where the journey to get there is a story
Original Thinking
Highlighting envelope-pushing creativity and artistic expression
Enduring Classic
Exceptional restaurants open for at least 50 years
Event of the Year
Recognising restaurant residencies and pop-ups
Atmosphere of the Year
Considering restaurant service, acoustics and overall ambience
No Reservations Required
For places where it’s possible to turn-up without a booking
Ethical Thinking
Rewarding environmental and social responsibility
Forward Drinking
Focusing on fresh ideas in liquid refreshment
Collaboration of the Year
Rewarding restaurants for the way they work with suppliers
The small plates categories are the following:
Instagram Account of the Year
Picked from the restaurant world’s social media platform of choice
Trolley of the Year
For those that believe table-side service should always be in fashion
Tattoo-Free Chef
For toque stars whose bodies aren’t canvases
Red Wine-Serving Restaurant
For those who shun current fashion by still championing the red grape
Tweezer-Free Kitchen
Searching for a more hands-on style of plating
Long-Form Journalism
Because the world still needs in-depth restaurant writing
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