The competition, run by the Academy of Food & Wine Service (AFWS), saw a range of entrants this year, with the final competitors coming from casual dining restaurants, gastropubs, fine dining and contract catering.
John Croft, executive director of the AFWS, said: “A good restaurant manager, wherever they work, must have great service skills, be able to relate to customers, manage staff, work under pressure, have a strong business acumen and be as familiar with the profit and loss accounts as they are with food and wine knowledge.”
The Restaurant Manager of the Year finalists are:
- Shaun Corrigan, Grand Jersey Hotel & Spa, Jersey
- Louise Denton, BaxterStorey at the English National Opera, London WC2
- Rebecca Galland, The Vineyard, Stockcross, Berkshire
- Clement Joseph, Royal Automobile Club, London SW1
- Stephen Morrison, La Vallee Blanche, Glasgow
- Paul Shanahan, Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons, Oxfordshire
- Nola Sheng, The Hawksmoor, Spitalfields London E1
- Janine Swales, BaxterStorey at Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, London N17
The final will be held at London’s Westbury Hotel on 7 October where finalists will be set a series of tasks designed to test their skills, knowledge and business sense.
Last year’s competition was won by Peter McAlister of the Culloden Estate and Spa in Belfast.