The Winey Cow in Mornington, Victoria has won the Cafe of the Year award in the Victorian and Tasmanian Savour Australia Restaurant and Catering Hostplus Awards for Excellence.
The Winey Cow also picked up the award for Best Café Restaurant at the awards event on 15 August, which recognised the value of the café culture to the dining experience.
“Australia’s café culture was born in Victoria, building a love affair with great coffee and good food. It’s timely we recognise café operators through their own major award,” said John Hart, Restaurant & Catering Australia (R&CA) CEO.
More than 550 Victorian and Tasmanian restaurateurs, caterers and cafés gathered at the Melbourne Park Function Centre to celebrate the industry’s achievements, recognising those operators that provide great food and exceptional service.
“The winners have been rigorously reviewed in one of the most objective awards systems, which looks at the entire dining experience, rather than a single food or service dimension,” John said. “It is the only awards program in Australia where the judging criteria is determined by consumers who rank what is important to them in the dining experience. Because at the end of the day, it is the customer that determines who is the best through repeat visitation and spend.”
The other major winners include:
O.MY Restaurant, Beaconsfield – Victorian Restaurant of the Year;
Me Wah Restaurant, Sandy Bay – Tasmanian Restaurant of the Year;
Epicure – Melbourne Cricket Ground, East Melbourne – Caterer of the Year;
The Winey Cow, Mornington – Café of the Year;
Four Figs, Beaconsfield – Victorian Consumer Vote Award;
Mures, Hobart – Tasmanian Consumer Vote Award; and
Philippe Mouchel – Lifetime Achiever
“The winners should be proud of their achievements. Running a restaurant is never easy – it takes a lot of blood, sweat and tears to get it right. I’m pleased we have been able to recognise the hard work of so many people in our industry,” said John. “To put your heart and soul on a plate for consumers and peers to judge can be daunting, but also rewarding.”
Some of the winners will go on to represent their state at the National Awards for Excellence held in Sydney on 24 October.
