By Angela Green, Content Executive: Christie Hayes wins IoH Restaurant Manager of the Year 2023.
Last night an emotional Christie Hayes, won the coveted Institute of Hospitality Restaurant Manager of the Year 2023 title, sponsored by The Hari, London at a glittering reception at the Hotel Café Royal, London.
Hayes, Restaurant Manager at Beach House, Oxwich, Swansea, Wales, fought off tough competition from 15 other semi-finalists to scoop the title and claim her position as the Institute’s 13th winner of the Restaurant Manager of the Year competition.
Along with the RMOY title and trophy, Hayes also receives 12 month’s IoH membership, invitations to all IoH events, and a series of coaching sessions from the prestigious Dorchester Collection Academy.
Ahead of International Women’s Day tomorrow, she joins other female RMOY winners and other leading female front-of-house talent, who work in the hospitality industry and raise the profile of women in hospitality.
Speaking about her win, Hayes commented: “I’m shocked and so emotional to have won this fantastic award. I’m so very grateful to my team and for this opportunity. The other competitors have been amazing. I’ve really enjoyed completing all the tasks and I’ve met some wonderful people, throughout the day. It’s been so much fun. I’m incredibly proud and so happy that my sister was here to share this experience with me.”
This year’s runner up, Liam Simpson, from The Strathearn, The Gleneagles Hotel, Scotland said: “I am very proud to be runner up in the RMOY 2023 competition. It was an incredible day of networking and great fun. I’d like to congratulate the winner Christie on a hard-earned victory and the rest of my competitors on getting this far. If this year’s competition is anything to go by, hospitality in Britain is in very good hands. Hopefully, I’ll return next year.”
To support their career development, all this year’s semi-finalists receive a year’s IoH Membership and free tickets to the IoH events, to help them access a vast range of the IoH’s resources and to encourage them to network. For the first time, they will also receive mentoring from one of the judges.
Sarah Peters FIH, IoH Head of Events said: “I would like to say a massive thank you to all the incredible semi-finalists, our incredible judges who gave their valuable time to help us access such amazing talent and to our panellists who joined us at the Winner’s Reception. None of this would have been possible without our headline sponsors The Hari, London who have generously committed to being the headline sponsor of this competition for the next three years, to The Hotel Café Royal, for looking after us so well, to Spirit Cartel and Prosecco DOC for supplying our guests with amazing drinks and to Foodbuy, our Gold Business Partner for their support.”
Hospitality & Catering News attended the event and witnessed an incredible array of talent on display being rightly recognised and rewarded as true front of house ambassadors.
Speaking with the judges and organisers of Restaurant Manager of the Year, it was evident that the aptitude shown throughout the competition processes stands our industry in very good stead. So, well done to the whole team at the Institute of Hospitality, The Hotel Café Royal, headline sponsors The Hari, London, and all who supported and took part in a very special occasion in hospitality and catering.
