Information for Restaurants
The nomination period for The Good Food Guide's Readers’ Restaurant of the Year Awards has now closed.
Restaurants were invited to provide their customers with nomination postcards by downloading the artwork and getting the postcards professionally printed. Nominations were accepted between Monday 13th February and Monday 23rd April 2012.
Diners can also be directed to our website where nominations could be made on online.
There are 10 regional award winners who will all feature in The Good Food Guide 2013 (published in September 2012) and the overall winner of Readers’ Restaurant of the Year will be chosen by a panel of experts, led by the editors of The Good Food Guide.
The 10 regional winners will be announced on Tuesday 22nd May 2012 and the overall winner of Readers’ Restaurant of the Year 2013 will be announced in the summer.
You can find out more about last year's winners here.
Postcard artwork and printing instructions
* Click here to download The Good Food Guide Readers Restaurant of the Year nomination postcards *
If you have any queries about the postcard (pictured, right), see the frequently asked questions below, or email editors@thegoodfoodguide.co.uk.
Eligibility criteria
Each restaurant nominated for The Good Food Guide 2013 Readers’ Restaurant of the Year must meet the following criteria:
- The dining establishment must be independently run and not part of a chain or franchise. By independently run we mean the owner/manager/chef is responsible for all decisions regarding the establishment including menu and sourcing produce
- The establishment does not need to be in the current edition of The Good Food Guide (2012 edition) but must demonstrate that it meets with The Good Food Guide standards as decided by the editors
- Establishments will be judged according to the whole dining experience, to include: cooking; ingredients; service; atmosphere; environment
- Where appropriate establishments should be able to demonstrate use of local suppliers, regional producers and provenance of ingredients
-
Any establishment that does not feature in the current edition of The Good Food Guide (2012 edition) which goes on to win an award will automatically be listed in The Good Food Guide 2013
- The 10 regional winners of the Readers’ Restaurant of the Year Award will be decided on by nominations from the general public, confirmation that an establishment meets the criteria laid out above and the opinions of the editors of The Good Food Guide
- The 10 regions are: London, South East, South West, East of England, Midlands, North East, North West, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland
- Any establishment found to be encouraging nominations through unfair means such as ‘bulk sending’ nomination postcards (see below) or pressuring diners and gathering nominations inappropriately will be automatically disqualified from entering
- All postcard nominations must be received on professionally printed postcards, MUST be individually stamped or franked and must be completed in full by a member of the public
- The decisions made by the editors of The Good Food Guide are final
Frequently asked questions
Q: Can you give me more details on getting the postcard printed?
We recommend restaurants have postcards professionally printed in keeping with the high standards of the GFG brand. Postcards should be the correct size, as specified on the instructions – A6 size. The quantity of postcards to print is at the restaurant's discretion depending on how many of their customers might be encouraged to take one. A guide might be to consider leaving a postcard with each bill. Below are guide prices on what it may cost to print the postcards (quote given to us by Kall Kwik):
Postcards (A6 4/1) printed in digital colour on white card 350gsm:
a) 50 £50 + VAT
b) 100 £75 + VAT
c) 200 £100 + VAT
c) 500 £150 + VAT
Q: How many nominations did you receive last year?
Last year we received a record 27,500 nominations via postcards and online. We do not disclose how many nominations individual restaurants receive.
Q: How are nominations verified?
All nominations are individually verified to remove duplications, incomplete submissions and invalid entries e.g. false names. Each nomination postcard received must be individually franked or stamped to avoid block voting.
Q: Can restaurants publicise the Good Food Guide Restaurant of the Year Award?
We would encourage restaurants to publicise the award on their website, in their marketing communications and in their restaurants. Restaurants are able to publicise the award using the materials we’ve provided to them, whether that be in hardcopy or by reproducing them online.
We’re also happy with restaurants drawing attention to the fact that The Good Food Guide is having a draw for a meal for two, as that draw applies to all restaurants. However we would not approve of restaurants offering their own incentives such as free prize draws or competitions in relation to the awards.
Q: If I get nominations for Restaurant of the Year does that mean I will be included in The Good Food Guide 2013?
No. The Restaurant of the Year awards are completely separate from compiling The Good Food Guide. Entries in The Good Food Guide are based on genuine reader feedback and visits from our anonymous inspectors. However, any restaurant which goes on to win an award in the Restaurant of the Year Awards must be of Good Food Guide standard, and will be included in the 2013 Good Food Guide.
Q: How are the winners chosen?
The 10 regional winners are chosen based on the most nominations received from the public for an establishment that meets The Good Food Guide criteria outlined above. Winners will also be judged on inspections, menus and buying policies.
The overall winner of Restaurant of the Year is chosen from the list of regional winners by a panel of experts, led by the editors of The Good Food Guide.