2024 Beverage Excellence Awards

The BevX Awards celebrate full-service chain restaurants for their beverage program’s creativity, originality and impact on sales and profitability. Winners demonstrate superior marketing support, staff training and overall commitment to their beverage initiatives.

Submit your entry USING THIS LINK.

FINAL EXTENSION!! Submission deadline is MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16.

Winners will be announced in the Winter 2024 issue of Cheers and recognized during the 2025 Cheers Beverage Summit in Annapolis.

Entry Process and Criteria

All full-service chain restaurants are eligible to enter. Marketing providers and other industry vendors are invited to nominate their on-premise clients as well.

Winners will be chosen in the following categories, based on company size and scope:

Best Multi-Concept Restaurant Beverage Program
Best Single-Concept Restaurant Beverage Program
Best Multi-Concept Hospitality Beverage Program
Best Single-Concept Hospitality Beverage Program
Best Multi-Concept Entertainment Beverage Program
Best Single-Concept Entertainment Beverage Program
Best Innovative Independent Restaurant Beverage Programs
Raising the Bar Award (Person)

The single-concept and multi-concept awards are for chains, which is defined as a company with at least 5 locations. Single-concept chain is defined as 5 or more locations with the same name and theming. Multi-concept chain is defined as a company with at least 3 distinct brands, with different names (i.e. Darden Restaurants with Olive Garden, Longhorn Steakhouse, Yard House, etc…), each with 5 or more locations.

Restaurant is defined as a standalone on-premise dining location. Hospitality includes hotels, resorts, cruise lines or airport/travel management companies. Entertainment includes movie theaters, casinos, stadiums, arenas and other live entertainment venues.

Independent restaurant is defined as an operation with 1-4 locations owned by the same company, whether the same concept or different ones.

The Raising the Bar Award is given to an industry icon who has impacted on-premise beverage sales and service throughout their career. Past winners include Madeline Triffon, F. Paul Pacult, Tony Abou Ganim and Danny Meyer.

Please read entry rules and requirements carefully before submitting your entry.

Additional Information

Entries are evaluated by a judging panel that includes previous BevX winners, Cheers Editorial Advisory Board Members and the Cheers editorial team.

Beverage programs must have been implemented or significantly expanded between July 2023 and June 2024 to be considered. Winners will be chosen based upon the program’s innovativeness and success. Metrics the judges will look at include increases is efficiency, sales and customer satisfaction.

The winner of the “Best Overall Beverage Program” will be chosen by the judges from all of the entries received in other categories.

Operators may enter any or all categories. However, each brand or company may only win one award. Industry vendors and marketing service providers who are nominating on-premise companies are not limited in the number of clients that can enter or win.

All winners will be featured in an issue of Cheers, and are expected to make themselves available for an interview.

Questions and Comments

For questions about the Beverage Excellence Awards, please contact the Cheers editorial staff:

Melissa Dowling
mdowling@epgmediallc.com or 763-383-4442

Jeremy Nedelka
jnedelka@epgmediallc.com or 763-383-4413

Past Cheers Beverage Excellence Award Winners

2023 BevX Winners:

Single-Concept Hospitality: Lumiere Brasserie & Bar (Fairmont Century Plaza)
Multi-Concept Hospitality: Princess Cruises
Single-Concept Restaurant: Firebirds Wood Fired Grill
Multi-Concept Restaurant: Culinary Institute of America
Single-Concept Entertainment: AMC Theatres
Innovative Independent: Cavana
Raising the Bar: Kira Webster

2022 BevX Winners:

Overall Winners: Dave & Buster’s (Restaurant) and Royal Caribbean (Hospitality)
Single-Concept Restaurant: Eureka! Restaurant Group
Multi-Concept Hospitality: Norwegian Cruise Line
Multi-Concept Entertainment: Penn Gaming
Innovative Independent: Troutbeck
Raising the Bar: Mariena Mercer Boarini (Wynn Las Vegas)

2021 BevX Winners:

Overall Winners: Red Robin (Restaurant) and Virgin Voyages (Hospitality)
Single-Concept Restaurant: BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse
Single-Concept Hospitality: Shot Bar
Multi-Concept Hospitality: Post Oak Hotel
Raising the Bar: Devin Burns (Omni Hotels)

2020 BevX Winners:
Overall Winner: Omni Hotels & Resorts
Single-Concept Restaurant: Firebirds Wood Fired Grill
Multi-Concept Restaurant: Houlihan’s
Single-Concept Hospitality: Delta Airlines
Multi-Concept Hospitality: Norwegian Cruise Line
Single-Concept Entertainment: Regal Cinemas
Multi-Concept Entertainment: Caesars Entertainment
Innovative Independents: Make Room for Truman, HIDE, Urban Farmer
Raising the Bar: Lee Zaremba (Boka Restaurant Group)

2019 BevX Winners:
Overall Winner: Melting Pot
Single Concept Restaurant: TGI Fridays
Multi Concept Hospitality: Norwegian Cruise Line
Single Concept Hospitality: Delta Sky Clubs
Innovative Independents: Safehouse Chicago, Sunda New Asian, The Monarch Bar
Raising the Bar: Mike Ryan (Kimpton Hotels); Brandon Wise (Sage Restaurant Group)