RESTAURANT AND CATERING AWARDS ANNOUNCED

** STRICTLY EMBARGOED UNTIL 19 SEPTEMBER 2006 **

QUEENSLAND RESTAURANT AND CATERING AWARDS ANNOUNCED

Queensland’s best restaurants and caterers for 2006 were announced at a gala event in Brisbane last night.

Minister for State Development John Mickel said Restaurant and Catering Queensland (RCQ) Awards for Excellence, held at the Hillstone St Lucia Foundation Centre, recognise the outstanding achievements of restaurants, cafes and catering companies in Queensland across 38 categories, ranging from best seafood restaurant to best wedding caterer to restaurant and caterer of the year.

Best Restaurant of the Year was awarded to the Gold Coast’s Songbirds in the Forest and Best Caterer of the year went to Bretts Wharf River Room (full list of award winners attached).

Mr Mickel said the awards were a culmination of a series of regional finals throughout the State with the winners going on to represent Queensland at the national restaurant and catering awards in Sydney in October.

“The Queensland Government is a big supporter of these awards, contributing $60,000 in sponsorship,” Mr Mickel said.

He said the restaurant and catering industry was a huge success story in Queensland.

“There are 5701 restaurant and catering businesses in Queensland, employing 46,000 Queenslanders – 21,000 full-time and 25,000 part-time,” Mr Mickel said.

“In terms of business numbers, the food service sector is larger than the hotel, motel club and accommodation sectors and turnover in Queensland is about $2.02 billion a year, averaging growth of 8.6 percent over the past seven years.”

Mr Mickel told guests the Queensland Government was mindful of the fact that the sector was dominated by small businesses.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, in 2005, 89 percent of industry businesses had less than 20 people and only 124 employed 200 or more people.

“Yours is also a very competitive industry with few barriers to entry and unfortunately many new entrants lack the business skills to survive,” Mr Mickel said.

“Earlier this year, the Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Restaurant and Catering Queensland where both parties have agreed to work closely together to support the industry.

“Under the agreement, the Department of State Development will work on a range of programs, from book-keeping and finance and marketing and networking to helping small businesses access experts and new technologies.

“We are united in our support of Queensland’s small business sector and we both offer a range of programs and products to help small business owners and operators improve business viability.”

LIST OF RESTAURANT AND CATERER AWARD WINNERS…

• Restaurant of the Year – Songbirds in the Forest (Gold Coast)
• Caterer of the Year – Bretts Wharf River Room (Brisbane)
• Best Alfresco Dining Restaurant – Omeros Bros Seafood Restaurant (Gold Coast)
• Best Pizza Restaurant – Arriva Italian Restaurant (Brisbane)
• Best Thai Restaurant – Thai Royal Restaurant (Darling Downs)
• Best Chef/Owner Restaurant – Seasalt at Armstrongs (Brisbane)
• Best Informal Dining Restaurant – Songbirds in the Forest (Gold Coast)
• Best Seafood Restaurant – Lure Restaurant @ The Coro Hotel (Brisbane)
• Best Hotel/Motel Restaurant – The Lab Bar & Restaurant (Brisbane)
• Best Indian Restaurant – The Tandoori Place Broadbeach (Gold Coast)
• Best Fine Dining Restaurant – PeppersSpicersPeak Lodge (Darling Downs)
• Best Family Establishment Restaurant – Ragazzi’s Café (Brisbane)
• Best Tourism Restaurant – Vino’s Restaurant and Bar (Brisbane)
• Best Restaurant Wine List Featuring Queensland Wines – The Boroughs Café Wine Bar (Brisbane)
• Best Themed Restaurant – High Societea (Brisbane)
• Best New Restaurant – Bespoke Restaurant (Brisbane)
• Best Pub/Tavern/Club Restaurant – Regatta Boatshed Steakhouse (Brisbane)
• Best Italian Restaurant – Pilu Ristorante & Bar (SunshineCoast)
• Best Modern Australian Restaurant – Songbirds in the Forest (Gold Coast)
• Professional Development – under 100 Staff – Watt Modern Dining (Brisbane)
• Professional Development – over 100 Staff – Conrad Treasury Brisbane
• Best Steak Restaurant – Cha Cha Char Wine & Grill (Brisbane)
• Best European Restaurant – Bespoke Restaurant (Brisbane)
• Best Restaurant in a Winery – Sirromet Wines, Restaurant Lurleens (Brisbane)
• Best Entertainment Restaurant – Ahmets Turkish Restaurant Southbank (Brisbane)
• Best Breakfast Restaurant – Season (SunshineCoast)
• Best Casual Dining/Buffet Restaurant – Hanaichi (Brisbane)
• Best Coffee Shop/Café Restaurant – Reflections on the Promenade (Gold Coast)
• Best Speciality Cuisine Restaurant – Lizzie’s Restaurant & Bar (Gold Coast)
• Best BYO Restaurant – Piccolo Restaurant (Brisbane)
• Best Chinese Restaurant – China SeaMiltonRestaurant (Brisbane)
• Best Asian Restaurant – Tamarind Restaurant – Reef Hotel Casino (Far North Queensland)
• Best Venue Caterer – B Catered (North Queensland)
• Best Function/Convention Centre Caterer – Bretts Wharf River Room (Brisbane)
• Best Event Caterer – Cha Char Catering (Brisbane)
• Best Site Caterer – Lifestyle Chef (Brisbane)
• Best Corporate Caterer – Cha Char Catering (Brisbane)
• Best Wedding Caterer – Hillstone St Lucia (Brisbane)
• Best Institutional Caterer – Lifestyle Chef (Brisbane)

__________________________________________

Media inquiries: Chris Brown (07) 3224 7349 or Elouise Campion (07) 3224 6784

19 September 2006