On-trade

Irish Pub Awards – entries up

With the closing date of May 29th fast approaching, entries for the Irish Pub of the Year, the premier pub-judging competition in the country run by the LVA and the VFI, are well up on last year’s figure at nearly 600.

 

Last year’s Irish Pub of the Year 2018 winners The Glyde Inn in Annagassan have seen a huge upturn in their trade since winning the competition.

“The win transformed our business in terms of footfall,” proprietor Conor O’Neill told Drinks Industry Ireland, “Traditionally we’d have had a pretty quiet Winter as we’re coastal, but winning the Best Food and Overall awards in November brought us through December, January and February to the Spring period. So everything changed in those months that were traditionally quite quiet.”

The publicity The Glyde Inn got nationally and internationally was also great for business, he reports of the pub that enjoys great views including one looking over to where Game of Thrones was filmed nearby.

“We’re a small destination restaurant and bar so to win the Award was phenomenal for us,” says Conor.

On the food side, the premises uses a lot of local produce so the win helped highlight the local producers in the region too.

“It’s made people outside of the area aware of what we’re doing nationally and internationally as well, so in terms of food it has brought us up to the next level.”

The Glyde Inn also has its own craft beer now and is developing its own whiskey and gin.

Conor would encourage other pubs to take part and is very appreciative of the competition’s sponsors and of the VFI for the PR and marketing that it provided during the year as well as for the course that Conor attended as a regional winner which he found to be very beneficial.

“It’s only two or three steps so I’d advise anyone to enter and turn up on the day as you never know what will happen. It totally transformed our business,” he said.


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