We're entering restaurant awards season but, before we even start, a new challenger has entered the ring. Deliveroo are starting their own restaurant awards - and it's not just limited to deliveries.
They say they want to "shake up the sometimes stale approach to industry awards, bringing in fun new categories for a generation of social-media eaters". And to help them out with that, they've brought in Ashley Roberts (Waitress, Pussycat Dolls and lots more) to present the awards. She'll be joined by Isaac Carew, Jasmine Hemsley and Giles Coren - who will all be presenting and on a judges panel for "restaurant of the year".
Here are the categories (and yes, there are a few very Deliveroo-specific ones in there):
- Best Burger
- Best Italian
- Best Chinese
- Best Indian
- Best Halal
- Best Dessert Only Restaurant
- Best Brunch
- Best Vegan Offering
- Most Innovative Dish
- Most Instagrammable Dish
- Best Editions Restaurant
- Best Pop-up to Prime-time
- Best Eco-Friendly
- Best Healthy Restaurant
- Best Family Restaurant
- Best Cheap Eats
- Most Loved Chain
- Favourite Food to Go
- Top Rated
- Best Restaurant as voted by Riders
- Restaurant of the Year
You can vote for everything but the last two - and voting will open on the 6th September, with a big event following on 17 October when the awards will all be announced.
Will it change the face of restaurant awards? We're not sure, but if it raises the profile of deserving restaurants, that can't be a bad thing. We'll update you with the winners when they're announced.
Voting is open now, head this way.
