In order to commend the experts in the Indian Restaurant industry, Franchise India and Zomato recently organized the prestigious Indian Restaurant Awards 2011 at Hotel Claridges, Surajkund.  

Commenting on the awards, Mr. Gaurav Marya (President, Franchise India Holdings Limited) said, “The premium focus of Indian Restaurant Awards is to create recognition for various industry experts who are part of the affluent restaurant industry. The awards will create a platform for the Indian players to showcase their expertise and gain prominence in the international markets by acknowledging outstanding creativity, customer service and top quality dining that is on offer throughout India. The winners, whether they are restaurateurs or chefs, are setting the standards for others in the industry to emulate.”

Masterchef Sanjeev Kapoor was the chief guest for the occasion. The awards also witnessed scintillating performance by Mansi Scott. In all, there were 26 award categories spanning across different industry verticals. Using a fair and rigorous award process, following people were selected for various awards:

1. Best Restaurant of the Year – Pizza Hut 2011
2. Best Indian Cuisine Restaurant of the Year – Punjabi By Nature By A.R.Fisheries Pvt. Ltd.
3. Best Quick Service Restaurant of the Year – Subway
4. Best Fine Dining Restaurant of the Year – Mainland China
5. Best Restaurant for Customer Service in the Year 2011 – Dhaba - Claridges
6. Best Restro-Bar of the Year – Smoke House Grill
7. Best Designer Restaurant of the Year – Ohris Nautanki Gali
8. Best Debutant Restaurant of the Year – Boombox Cafe
9. Best Café Chain of the Year – 1 Cafe Bar
10. Best Menu R&D & Innovation of the Year –  Fishtro -SIGMA RESTAURANTS PRIVATE LIMITED
11. Best Restaurants Chain of the Year – Mc Donald's
12. Most Creative Concept Restaurant of the Year – The [v] Spot Cafe + Bar
13. Best Specialty Cuisine Restaurant of the Year – Rajdhani
14. Best Foreign Cuisine Restaurant of the Year – Courtyard Mariott and Sheraton, Bangalore
15. Best Bakery & Confectionery of the Year – The Park
16. Best Food Court of the Year – INORBIT Mall, Mumbai
17. Chef of the Year – Copper Chimney, Chef Sanjay Malkani
18. Lifetime Restaurateur Award – GULATI
19. Best Celebrity Restaurant of the Year – LAP Restaurant
20. Best Kitchen Equipment Supplier of the Year – Continental Equipment India Pvt. Ltd.
21. Best Indian Restaurant Consultant of the Year – UNDER ONE ROOF HOTEL CONSULTANTS P. LTD
22. Best Hotel Management Institute of the Year – IHM, Pusa Road, Delhi
23. Restaurant Entrepreneur of the Year – Amit Burman - Lite Bite Foods Pvt Ltd
24. Face of the Decade - Sanjeev Kapoor 
25. Face of the Year - Niren Chaudhry -  YUM Restaurants (India) Pvt. Limited
26. Best Leisure Restaurant of the Year - GOLFWORX

Speaking on the occasion, Deepinder Goyal, Founder & CEO of Zomato.com said, “The aim of the Indian Restaurant Awards is to recognize achievers and innovators in the Indian Restaurant Industry, a space in which we have been actively involved over the last three years. Zomato.com would like to congratulate the winners across all categories – their contributions to the Indian Restaurant industry have been ground breaking and are sure to inspire several others in helping build a bright future for the Restaurant sector and scale new heights.”

The awards ceremony was a part of Indian Restaurant Congress 2011, a two day national conference where renowned chefs, restaurant operators, and F&B experts came together and discussed about the growing consumer demand for quality dining experiences.