Uber Eats is today announcing its UK & Ireland Restaurant of the Year Awards are back for 2023. Returning judges Prue Leith, Matthew Price, Lorraine Copes and Hospitality Action’s Mark Lewis are set to be joined by two new industry faces, Monica Galetti and Seema Pankhania. The news comes as Uber Eats reveals key findings from a forthcoming Impact Report, which shows it has added £2 billion in net restaurant revenues in the last year.
Chef Monica Galetti will be lending her breadth of judging expertise to the Awards, whilst content creator Seema Pankhania, who trained as Chef de Partie at Gordon Ramsay’s restaurants and was previously part of the Mob team, will also be bringing her insights and opinions to the panel.
Last year saw the first-ever awards from the food delivery app, with the winner of the coveted ‘Restaurant of the Year’ award receiving £100,000 to help build and expand their business. This year, the public can once again nominate their favourite restaurants from across the UK and Ireland at ubereatsawards.com, which launches today.
This year the prize fund has doubled, offering a further £100,000 to be split among remaining finalists. Voting is open until 28th July, when a shortlist will be revealed ahead of tastings with the judging panel.
Beyond the grand prize category, the awards will also highlight trailblazers in the industry who are leading the way after a turbulent few years for restaurants and the hospitality industry.
These Pioneer Awards include:
- Female Chef of the Year
- Sustainable Restaurant
- Health-focused Restaurant
- Community/Social Impact Restaurant
Runners up will receive a cash prize and marketing support from Uber Eats, to help enable ongoing restaurant growth and development.
Uber’s 2023 Impact Report** further revealed that 80% of restaurants found Uber Eats has helped them reach new customers, while 81% of respondents believe Uber Eats is beneficial to their business’s financial health. The Uber Eats Restaurant of the Year Awards are designed not only to commend the UK’s most-loved dining hotspots and thank them for their continued support but to help elevate their offering on the app and beyond.
The launch comes as Uber Eats reveals the top 10 searched cuisines in the UK in the last 12 months.
Top 10 Popular Cuisines on Uber Eats
- American
- Brunch
- Halal
- Italian
- Healthy
- Indian
- Chinese
- Vegetarian
- Salad
- Wings
Matthew Price, Uber Eats general manager, said: “With a wide range of amazing independent restaurants spanning every cuisine type available on Uber Eats, we hope that our awards will help create a platform to showcase the amazing business. Last year’s awards were a huge success and I look forward to creating an even more impactful awards program for our restaurant partners.”
Dame Prue Leith, cook, restaurateur, TV presenter and author, said: “I’m delighted to work with Uber Eats to crown their Restaurant of the Year again this year. Last year, we got to see all the hard work and effort these businesses go to for their customers and spotlight some extraordinary people, stories and restaurants. This year, I’m once again looking forward to discovering the next big thing in the restaurant industry, and of course to eating some amazing food.”
Monica Galetti, chef and television presenter, said: “Over many years working in professional kitchens such as Mere and Le Gavroche I’ve witnessed first-hand the levels of hard work, dedication and passion that go into running a restaurant business. I’m excited to be part of the Uber Eats Restaurant of the Year Awards 2023 and to see what these independent restaurants bring to the table, and to meet some of the great minds behind the UK’s favourite meals.”
