Nominations for Bar & Restaurant Expo’s 2023 Industry Excellence Awards are now open! The awards seek to recognize, celebrate, and support the people who make the independent bar and restaurant industry great.
We caught up with some of 2022’s winners to see what they’re up to now and how the Industry Excellence Awards have affected them. If you need some extra motivation to get those nominations in, look no further!
2022 Operator of the Year: Barbara Sibley, CEO and Chef of La Palapa Restaurants, Creative Director Holiday Cocktail Lounge
How has winning an Industry Excellence Award benefited you and your career?
The award has given great recognition to the role of operator as well as to my career. I have posted it extensively on social media, and I get supportive comments each time.
What is a highlight you and/or your company experienced over the last few months?
I have been inducted into the Fall 2022 Cohort of the James Beard Foundation Women's Leadership Program and La Palapa received the NY Gender Equity Restaurant of the Year by RAISE and the Barry Commoner Center.
What are some of the top challenges you’ve encountered in the last few months? How have you overcome them?
Our organization was very effective getting through the pandemic lockdown crisis due to our experiences with 9/11 and Hurricane Sandy. Now the challenge is to pivot to a new mode and take the creativity of the crisis to a higher level.
Would you recommend the Industry Excellence Awards to others? Why?
It was wonderful to meet with the other honorees. I met and learned about amazing hospitality professionals from all over the country.
2022 Innovator of the Year: Christie Lawler, Founder & Owner, CJL Consultants, WITI Conference
How has winning an Industry Excellence Award benefited you and your career?
Winning the Industry Excellence Award has improved both our visibility and credibility as a company as well as a nonprofit organization. We have seen an increase in interest in not only joining our nonprofit as a Mentor Member, but also with people reaching out to find ways to support and advocate for The WITI Group. It’s absolutely a blessing to have our industry buzzing about what we are doing!
What is a highlight you and/or your company experienced over the last few months?
Our attendance at our annual WITI Conference greatly increased this year along with our membership numbers. We have now surpassed the 100-member mark, and we are seeing the ripple effects of our growing presence. The positive impact I envisioned when I founded The WITI Group is happening, and it is so rewarding to see the friendships that have grown between former strangers. As a positive side effect for my company, we are gaining new clients because companies are seeing the positive changes we are making in the industry. As the best personal reward, I am now surrounded with more love and support and true friendships than I ever could have imagined. I think I may have accidently stumbled into my best life!
What are some of the top challenges you’ve encountered in the last few months? How have you overcome them?
Honestly, running a massive conference that doesn’t generate any revenue for my company while also managing our regular work loads is very stressful. It is a true labor of love for everyone involved with our board members for The WITI Group as well as the members of the CJL team. Our clients cannot suffer while we are in full-throttle execution mode for the WITI Conference, so that results in endless sleepless nights for me. But it is totally worth it, and I am way too grateful to ever actually complain. I sleep in October after WITI is done for the year. 😉
Would you recommend the Industry Excellence Awards to others? Why?
Absolutely I would recommend the awards. Those that are making a difference in our industry, standing up for others, and creating positive change and social impacts need to be more visible. The way our industry used to behave was so shameful in so many ways. Collectively, we have really cleaned up our act, and it’s all because people started standing up for others and forcing the industry to look at itself in a very realistic mirror. I personally am very grateful for the changes that have come about because I finally feel safe.
2022 LGBTQIA+ Venue of the Year: Downtown Olly’s, Adam Goble, General Manager
How has winning an Industry Excellence Award benefited you and your career?
Winning the LGBTQ venue of the year has helped put both Downtown Olly’s and myself in a position to help other venues find creative ways to not only survive in this new world, but to thrive.
What is a highlight you and/or your company experienced over the last few months?
Over the past several months, we have been excited to engage with many area TV and radio stations. We have provided a link to Indiana’s LGBTQ entertainment base, as well as providing cooking and cocktail demonstrations. As our 2022 outdoor space, The Backyard, comes to the end of its season, we are hard at work creating fun and exciting programming for the fall/winter season with the return of “Chanteuse,” Indianapolis’s only all live vocals drag cabaret show.
What are some of the top challenges you’ve encountered in the last few months? How have you overcome them?
Our entire industry has seen a decline in guest visits in the last several months. People are trying to save money wherever they can. As members of the Indiana Independent Venue Alliance, we have a connection with the bars, nightclubs, and restaurants around us. While others are suffering up to 20% losses, through our connections and shared resources, we have been able to limit overall losses to no more than 10%. Through training and creating closer connections with our vendors, we have been able to replace those losses with more quality sales.
Would you recommend the Industry Excellence Awards to others? Why?
From the moment we were first nominated, we have been actively promoting the awards and the expo as a whole to other businesses in our area. We firmly believe that a thriving community of venues, bars, clubs, and restaurants benefits all of us. We want to see the success of the LGBTQ spaces around us to ensure a thriving community for many years to come. While we are always pushing the envelope of what we can offer, we are always inspired by the creativity of the spaces around us. Each is worthy of recognition for the great work they do to provide a sense of community to Central Indiana’s LGBTQQIP2SAA individuals.
2022 Bartender of the Year: Josh Davis, Founder, Brown & Balanced
How has winning an Industry Excellence Award benefited you and your career?
Winning Bartender of the year has impacted me tremendously. I have been moving and shaking since March. I've had the opportunity to start many new projects, a staffing agency, and guest bartending all over the country. Truly has opened me up to a demographic that didn't know me, and I am thankful, honored, and humbled by the award.
What is a highlight you and/or your company experienced over the last few months?
After winning the award in March, the highlight has been the fact that I have inspired other Black bartenders to know that you can be yourself and still have success. Have your morals, have your boundaries, don't bend them for anyone, and even when you feel like it's not working, someone out there will see you, and you will get the recognition you deserve.
What are some of the top challenges you’ve encountered in the last few months? How have you overcome them?
Only challenge I have had is protecting my mental health. A lot of times in this industry when we get opportunities, we take them all and run ourselves into the ground. Now I have been very proactive in protecting my peace and learning that while we all love making money, sometimes saying no and trying to take time for yourself is most important
Would you recommend the Industry Excellence Awards to others? Why?
Absolutely! Bar and Restaurant Expo is entertaining, educational, fun, and hits everything I am looking for in a conference/expo in our industry.
2022 Restaurant of the Year: Lumi, Mike Georgopoulos, Partner
How has winning an Industry Excellence Award benefited you and your career?
As an industry veteran of 20+ years, it was exciting to work with this new team and venue and see them excel and be recognized, especially during all the challenges the pandemic created for restaurants, bars, and small businesses.
What is a highlight you and/or your company experienced over the last few months?
It’s been great to see tourism and convention traffic returning to San Diego, bringing life back to local businesses, and contributing to our community in such a positive way.
What are some of the top challenges you’ve encountered in the last few months? How have you overcome them?
We recently launched Omakase, which offers a deeper and more adventurous dive into Lumi’s culinary experience. We were ready for any marketing or operational challenges we would encounter, but we weren’t expecting the technical obstacles. Because we were offering a very specific experience, in a specific location within the venue, at a specific time, we ran into some hurdles with our reservation system. Because of the relationships we’ve built, we were able to work with our partners to push technologies and advance the online system. Running a full dining room, bar service, premiere lounge areas, and now a coursed Omakase experience, while first challenging, pushed us to find innovative ways to manage these four revenue streams.
Would you recommend the Industry Excellence Awards to others? Why?
It is always an honor to receive an award, especially when your team has worked hard to develop and grow a venue that is rooted in elevated service, cuisine, libations, and atmosphere. Being recognized by Bar & Restaurant means being recognized at a national level, and that is huge for any business, both in reputation and exposure.
Plan to Attend or Participate in Bar & Restaurant Expo, March 27-29, 2023
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, March 27-29, 2023 in Las Vegas. Visit BarandRestaurantExpo.com.
To book your sponsorship or exhibit space at 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.