Cheers magazine, the only beverage business publication devoted to full-service restaurants, bars and hotels, on Jan. 14 announced the winners of its 2013 Cheers Beverage Excellence Awards program.
The awards will be presented to the winners at the annual Cheers Beverage Conference, held on Feb. 12-13 in Dallas at the Crowne Plaza Downtown.
The 2013 Cheers Beverage Excellence Award winners include 11 chain beverage programs and two individual award recipients recognized for their industry leadership.
Here’s the full list of winners:
• Best Chain Overall Beverage Program: Hard Rock Cafe
• Best Chain Spirits Program: Celebrity Cruises
• Best Chain Drink Program: Omni Hotels & Resorts
• Best Chain Wine Program: Sheraton Hotels & Resorts
• Best Chain Beer Program: Ruby Tuesday
• Best Chain Hotel Beverage Program: J.W. Marriott San Antonio Hill Country
• Best Chain Signature Drink Program: Tavistock Restaurants
• Best Chain Beverage Merchandising Program: Carrabba’s Italian Grill
• Best Chain Staff Training Program: Marriott International
• Best Chain Bar-Kitchen Synergy: InterContinental Hotels Group
• Best Chain Adult Alcohol-Free Program: Red Lion Hotels Corp.
• Raising the Bar Award: Kip Snider, director of beverage, Yard House Restaurants
• Beverage Industry Innovator of the Year: Tippling Brothers
The Cheers Beverage Excellence Awards program is open to all chain restaurants. A chain is defined as an operation with five or more locations in two or more markets; the chain must be in existence for at least three years.
The criteria for the BevEx awards are based on a particular program’s creativity, originality and impact on the sales and profitability of a full-service restaurant operation, as well as the level of marketing support, staff training and overall operator commitment to the initiative. The entries were evaluated by a judging panel of industry experts that include previous Beverage Excellence Award winners and members of the Cheers editorial team.
Profiles of all the 2013 Cheers Beverage Excellence Award winners will appear in the January/February 2013 issue of Cheers magazine. More in-depth articles on what makes these programs award-worthy will be available next month on the Cheers website at http://bit.ly/BevEx.