Earlier this year, Bar & Restaurant crowned seven winners along with an Industry Impact Award winner at the 2023 Bar & Restaurant Expo. We caught up with a few of the winners to see how the award has impacted them as well as what they predict will be trending in 2024.
Want to join the ranks of winners? Nominations for the 2024 Industry Excellence Awards are now open—submit a nomination today!
Adam Orman, L'Oca d'Oro and Good Work Austin, Austin, Texas
2023 Community Leadership Award Winner
How has winning the Industry Excellence Awards benefited you/your company?
We include this in all our press releases and other applications and believe that the national recognition for our service to the community has helped expand the profile of L'Oca d'Oro and our work with Good Work Austin.
What is a highlight you and/or your company experienced over the last few months?
We started a new fundraiser dinner series, Pasta Paisanos, in September and have gotten to work with some great chefs, winemakers, and artists on collaborative menus to raise money for GWA's Culinary Training Program, which will get off the ground in January.
What food/beverage trend do you predict will be big in 2024?
Regional Middle Eastern cuisine.
Troy Guard, TAG Restaurant Group, Denver, Colorado & Houston, Texas
2023 Chef of the Year Winner
How has winning the Industry Excellence Awards benefited you/your company?
Winning this award was a huge testament to the hard work of my entire team over the years. I’m extremely proud to be recognized as Chef of the Year, but the team behind me deserves just as much praise and recognition. This award has shown us we’ve been doing the right things all these years, and the hard work has been worth it. We’ve been inspired to keep pushing, be creative, innovate, and continue to grow the TAG Restaurant Group brand.
What is a highlight you and/or your company experienced over the last few months?
TAG Restaurant Group has had a huge 2023! Since winning Bar & Restaurant Expo’s Chef of the Year Award, we’ve been named a recommended restaurant by the Michelin Guide for Guard and Grace in Denver; opened a new location of our Boozy Brunch spot, HashTAG; are in the final stages of opening a new cocktail bar concept called Done Deal; and reopening one of our earliest restaurants, TAG Burger Bar. Over a decade in, we’re just getting started!
What food/beverage trend do you predict will be big in 2024?
2023 was a year of growth and innovation in the restaurant industry. In Denver, we saw some restaurant closures, but it felt like there were more new openings than any year post COVID pandemic. I think the industry will continue to trend up—more and more people are dining out regularly and have more adventurous palates than I can remember in a long time. We’ll see more varied cuisine, more experimental and innovative cocktail programs, and the younger chefs and restaurateurs coming into their own to redefine the industry.
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Plan to Attend or Participate in the 2024 Bar & Restaurant Expo, March 18-20, 2024
To learn about the latest trends, issues and hot topics, and to experience and taste the best products within the bar, restaurant and hospitality industry, plan to attend Bar & Restaurant Expo 2024 in Las Vegas. Visit BarandRestaurantExpo.com.
To book your sponsorship or exhibit space at the 2024 Bar & Restaurant Expo, contact:
Veronica Gonnello (for companies A to G) e: [email protected] p: 212-895-8244
Tim Schultz (for companies H to Q) e: [email protected] p: 917-258-8589
Fadi Alsayegh (for companies R to Z) e: [email protected] p: 917-258-5174
Also, be sure to follow Bar & Restaurant on Facebook and Instagram for all the latest industry news and trends.