Roof Gardens restaurant manager wins Academy of Food & Wine title

Peter Avis of Babylon at Roof Gardens in London has been named the Academy of Food & Wine’s inaugural UK Restaurant Manager of the Year.

Avis, who was crowned the winner of the competition at a dinner held at the Langham hotel in London last night, beat five other finalists to the title.

Mark Bevan of the Chester Grosvenor in Cheshire came in second place.

Prior to the final of the competition, all six finalists were asked to submit and present a business plan for a restaurant concept including a profit and loss account, method of marketing and promoting the restaurant and plans for staff recruitment and training.

Each candidate was then quizzed by a panel of judges and asked to completed a wine tasting and food matching exercise.

As the winning restaurant manager, Avis has received a week-long trip to New York to complete a stage at a top restaurant.

Chair of the judges, Conor O’Leary, food and beverage manager of the Andaz hotel in London, said: "A good restaurant manager has to be dedicated to his team, dedicated to his customers and be a good front-of-house face.

“The ability to recruit staff, motivate them, manage them and train them is also crucial – Peter Avis is a fantastic winner."

The Restaurant Manager of the Year competition is supported by the National Skills Academy for Hospitality and sponsored by OpenTable and Keystone Recruitment.

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By Kerstin Kühn

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