KOSTUCH PUBLICATIONS ANNOUNCES 2010 PINNACLE WINNERS

TORONTO, Dec. 6 /CNW/ - Kostuch Publications Limited, publishers of industry magazines Foodservice and Hospitality and Hotelier, presented its 2010 Pinnacle Awards Dec. 3 at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel. The Montreal-based MTY Group is this year's Company of the Year (National) winner for Foodservice and Hospitality magazine, while Starwood Hotels and Resorts wins the Company of the Year (National) award for Hotelier magazine.

Other category winners for Foodservice and Hospitality include: Joey Restaurant Group as Regional Company of the Year, Western Canada; Murphy Group as Regional Company of the Year, Eastern Canada; Sal Howell of River Café and Boxwood as Independent Restaurateur of the Year; and MenuPalace.com as Supplier of the Year. A&W is the winner in the category of Franchise Excellence.  

This year Kostuch introduced a new category, an inaugural Chef of the Year award, which was presented to Jonathan Gushue. The top toque helms Cambridge, Ont.'s acclaimed Langdon Hall, which just received a 77th-place ranking on San Pellegrino's World's 100 Best Restaurants List. To top things off, the culinary icon was named a Grand Chef late last year by Relais et Châteaux, the international association of inns.

On the hotel side, winners included Sawridge Inns and Conference Centres as Regional Company of the Year; Geoff Allan, GM of Montreal's Hôtel Le Crystal de la Montagne as Hotelier of the Year, and Group Lockhart Inc. as Supplier of the Year.  

With $430 million in systemwide sales, 25 distinct banners and more than 1,700 units, the MTY Group has proven its worth as the Company of the Year recipient. This year, the quick-service behemoth acquired the Quebec-based quick-service chain, Groupe Valentine Inc., was listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange and introduced its new multi-concept loyalty card nationally.

On a more regional level, the Vancouver-based, 20-unit Joey Restaurant Group established its profile in Ontario in 2010, opening at the Shops at Don Mills, in north Toronto. Developed with a unique brand culture, each of the premium casual sites features unique interior design and original menus that reflect high-end culinary trends. 

On the eastern seaboard, The Murphy Group of Restaurants made a big splash this year with its trademark home-grown hospitality, earning it the Regional Company of the Year, Eastern Canada award. The team at the P.E.I.-based stable of a handful of different restaurants, recorded a 4.5 per cent sales hike in 2010, partnered with the Maritime-based Atlantic Beef Plant and introduced the role of culinary director.

After almost 20 years on the scene, the venerable River Café, has become a Calgary institution, thanks to its proprietor, Sal Howell who earned this year's Restaurateur of the Year award. Howell's drive to make innovative and sustainability driven business decisions, has recently earned her fine-dining establishment the honour of becoming the first LEAF-certified restaurant. And, now, such an accreditation can be attributed to her new venture, Boxwood, which opened earlier this year.

Thanks to MenuPalace.com — this year's Supplier of the Year — Internet marketing just got easier. Michael Tulman and Gary Lipovetsky, who founded their North York, Ont.-based company 11 years ago, have enjoyed an average growth rate of 40 per cent every year since 2001. This year's success was due, in part, to its DealFind.com website, which promotes daily discounts.

Rounding things off on the foodservice side is Vancouver's A&W, which takes this year's award in Franchise Excellence. The 720-unit, number-2 burger chain in Canada, banks on its nostalgic appeal. Franchisees are drawn to a strong company culture, which recently morphed with this year's development of an urban market concept.

On the hotel side, Starwood Hotels and Resorts earned the top spot on the hospitality side, for its bold vision and commitment to innovation. The growing company boasts 59 properties under brand names such as Westin, Sheraton and Aloft. In the past year, global revenue has grown by 7.9 per cent and the company cut the ribbon on a number of major properties such as the Westin Wall Centre Vancouver Airport, which opened just in time for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

Meanwhile, Sawridge Inns and Conference Centres has carved out a niche in northern Alberta for its First Nation ownership and commitment to aboriginal culture. This year's Regional Company of the Year was founded by the late Hon. Walter Twinn, who created the Slave Lake Hotel so his people could benefit from the northern Alberta oil boom in 1972.

Geoff Allan, GM of Montreal's Hôtel Le Crystal de la Montagne, is this year's Hotelier of the Year. The visionary, who opened the 131-room hotel in 2008, just before the recession, saw the new property reach 85 per cent occupancy and a rate of $226 in August. Meanwhile, attention-to-detail, instilling intuitive service and incorporating cutting-edge technology are just a couple of reasons he remains on top.

And, last but certainly not least, Group Lockhart, Hotelier's Supplier of the Year, has been a prominent force in insurance brokerage in the hospitality business for 30 years. James Lockhart, president of the London Ont.-based group, commands a tight ship, which works on the philosophy of attracting, rewarding and retaining staff for satisfied clients such as Atlific Hotels and Resorts and Best Western.

The achievements of all the winners were celebrated at the Pinnacle Awards luncheon, held Friday, Dec. 3, at Toronto's Fairmont Royal York Hotel. 

Since introducing the first industry award in 1988, Foodservice and Hospitality has honoured a diverse group of leaders for their continued success and achievements, representing every facet of the industry, from upscale restaurants to quick-service chains. Each of this year's winners are distinguished for their contributions to the image of the industry through civic, educational and community involvement, as well as their efforts in establishing innovative concepts in foodservice or hotel management. Past winners include George Cohon of McDonald's Restaurants of Canada Ltd.; The TDL Group; Starbucks Canada; Donald Ziraldo and Karl Kaiser of Inniskillin Wines Inc.; and Four Seasons Hotels founder, Isadore Sharp.

Hotelier magazine's first annual Hotelier of the Year award, representing similar achievement in the hotel industry, was presented in 1994 to hotel executives Robert DeMone, Canadian Pacific Hotels & Resorts; Michael Beckley, Commonwealth Hospitality; and Simon Cooper, Delta Hotels & Resorts.

For further information:

Rosanna Caira at [phone], ext. 224 or [email protected]