The Restaurants Association of Ireland today launched the ninth annual Irish Restaurant Awards at an event held in Luna Restaurant, Dublin. The Irish Restaurant Awards showcase the true talent that Ireland’s hospitality industry has to offer by acknowledging outstanding performers in the sector.

The awards are a five-month long process consisting of online public nominations, judging panels, mystery guest inspections and regional and national events. In 2016, the awards received 70,000+ online public nominations. This number is expected to grow exponentially with the continued support of their media partner, The Irish Times.
 
The All-Ireland final of the Irish Restaurant Awards 2017 takes place on Monday 8th of May 2017 in the Clayton Hotel, Burlington Road.
 
This year, there are 20 categories in which the general public can nominate. These categories are made up of 15 Main award categories: 
 
· Best Restaurant
· Best Chef
· Best Restaurant Manager
· Best Hotel Restaurant
· Best Casual Dining
· Best Gastro Pub
· Best Newcomer
· Best Customer Service
· Best Wine Experience
· Best Emerging Irish Cuisine
· Best World Cuisine
· Best Cafe
· Best Kids Size Me
· Local Food Hero
· Pub of the Year
 
Commenting on the awards, Chief Executive of the Restaurants Association, Adrian Cummins said, "The aim of the Irish Restaurant Awards is to honour the hard working people of the hospitality industry from cocktail makers, sommeliers and waiters to restaurant managers and local food champions."

He added, "The restaurant industry is the biggest employer within the Irish tourism sector, employing over 74,000 people and these awards are a celebration and acknowledgement of the hard work put in by restaurateurs year round."
 
Source: www.businessworld.ie