Festival Awards Criteria

The first key point to make is that establishments can only be judged within the standards that could be expected of them or by their own aspirations.

 
This makes giving the awards more difficult, but the diversity of Mancunian restaurants means that applying a blanket criteria when judging a French, Greek or Thai restaurant together would be a farce, to judge a big bustling bar in the same way as an intimate one, would also be silly. Thus the guidelines below are simply guidelines - especially in an age where the boundaries between restaurant/bar and bar/pub and pub/restaurant grow ever more indistinct.

The winning venue from 2008 can't win until the second year after they won, i.e. 2010. This make the awards more interesting - gives them variety. 

MFDF would recommend that judges also take commitment to Festival themes into account. For example, does the chef/venue pay particular attention to the use of locally sourced ingredients? Does the organisation champion Fairtrade? 

Finally, a key element introduced into to this year's Awards criteria is accessibility. Manchester is an inclusive, world class City. The diversity of the City is what makes it so great. In the same way that restaurants would not exclude people of any ethnic backgrounds, it is also expected that they don't exclude people with disabilities. Following liaison with Manchester City Council, MFDF have introduced this as an award criteria for consideration by the judges. Rather than have its own award, this factor will be taken into account across all venues considered for nomination. We of course accept that these are food and drink awards, but like any other standard that comes into play in deciding whether a venue deserves an MFDF Award Nomination, accessibility will now be considered. 

Venues may be marked down if they don't make any of the reasonable adjustments expected. This can include elements as small as provision of large print menus and spacing of tables. 

Skills and Training issues and healthy eating have their own dedicated awards, but might still come into play to the experience as a whole. All of these issues are also key points to consider for the Outstanding Achievement Award.

The Award Categories
The above applies to all of the MFDF 2009 Award Categories, below are further details for each specific category:

Restaurant of the year
- Must have been operating for at least 10 months at the time of the Gala Dinner.
- The key areas are food, service, ambience, drinks, entertainment/events in that order.
Food
- Consistent high quality in taste and presentation.
- Innovation, flair in the cooking also to be taken into consideration.
- Attention to detail in the sourcing and creativity on the menu.
Service
- Consistently efficient, polite and amiable service.
Ambience
- Does the ambience suit the venue, is it variously buzzy, tranquil, exotic etc??
Drinks
- Does the drinks selection display originality?
- Are there any special features hers of note, such as high quality sourcing etc?
Entertainment / Events
- Is there a good standard of entertainment which doesn't intrude on the dining experience, unless as part of a special event?
- Are events good quality?

Pub of the Year
- The key areas are ambience/welcome, drinks selection, food, historic building, entertainment.
Ambience
- The feeling of being comfortable in a pub is crucial. Hence the over-used epithet of cosy. Therefore the staff must be welcoming, cheerful and efficient, even humorous.
Drinks Selection
- Excellence above all in ales and spirits.
- A good wine selection and other drinks secondary.
Food
- Food to be of a good standard and usually, excepting so-called gastro-pubs, with a traditional British selection.
Historic building
- The appreciation, often unconscious, that you are sharing drinking space with generations of previous customers adds greatly to the experience.
Entertainment / games
- Is there a good standard of entertainment which does not intrude?
- Are there any pub games which need not intrude?

Bar of the year
- Must have been in operation for at least 6 months at the time of the Gala Dinner.
- The key areas are ambience, drinks, entertainment, food, design.
Ambience
- Is the place full of energy, a place to be seen or is it tranquil and a place to relax?
Drinks
- Cocktails or rare beers, odd liqueurs or mad shooters. Does the list surprise?
Entertainment
- Does the bar put on good entertainment, have a special jukebox, provide DJs etc?
Food
- Is the food quality high?
Design
- Is the design exciting or distinguished in any way?

Coffee Bar and Casual Dining Venue of the Year
- Must have been in operation for 6 months at the time of the Gala Dinner.
- Key areas are drinks, ambience, food.
Drinks
- Is the coffee, tea, juices, smoothies, etc. of the highest quality?
Ambience
- Do you feel instantly comfortable, is the venue an easy place for chatting?
Food
- Is the food supplied good quality and innovative.

Best Newcomer
- Must have been in operation for less than 12 months at the time of the Gala Dinner. 

- The best newcomer must include the features described in the relevant category here together with an added twist of originality in one or other areas. Thus any venue, restaurant, bar, deli etc is eligible