The search for South African culinary excellence has begun, with a robust new judging process and an anonymous judging panel.
Following extensive consultation with the restaurant industry and its patrons earlier this year, Eat Out has implemented a new judging process. Eight anonymous judges, carefully selected for their diverse backgrounds and expertise as restaurateurs, chefs and sommeliers, have embarked on a journey to discover and celebrate South Africa’s best dining experiences.
Eat Out’s new approach is designed to ensure that every shortlisted restaurant is judged by all eight judges over a number of different visits, seasons and times. To that end, this panel of judges will be visiting restaurants across the peak and off-peak seasons. That means the awards ceremony will no longer be held in November each year. The next Eat Out Woolworths Restaurant Awards ceremony will take place in April 2025.
Melissa Cumming, Head of Eat Out, says: “At Eat Out, our dedication lies in showcasing culinary excellence in South Africa, celebrating restaurants that continually strive for the highest standards. We want nothing less than an awards system that lives up to those same standards and we are proud to have commenced the judging season with an even more comprehensive process in place. Another heartfelt thanks to the industry for contributing to the research that helped us refine this new model.”
The research confirmed the relevance and order of importance of Eat Out’s judging criteria as follows: taste and technique (25%) and service (25%) hold the most weight, followed by menu composition (15%), presentation (15%), beverages (10%), ambience (5%), and perceived value (5%). The scorecards have been adjusted accordingly and each starred restaurant will have transparent, automated access to their aggregated scorecard, which is another critical step Eat Out is taking following the industry feedback. You can find the full scoring criteria here.
Woolworths continues as the headline sponsor for the 2025 Eat Out Woolworths Restaurant Awards. This comes after Eat Out’s consultation revealed that both the restaurant industry and patrons value Woolworths’ commitment to quality and see their association with Eat Out as beneficial.
Elizka Ferreira, Woolworths’ head of food marketing, says: “At Woolworths, we believe that the details make the difference, and Eat Out have certainly left no stone unturned with their judging process this year. The care and attention to detail in their approach shows their impressive commitment to the industry, and we are proud to continue our role as headline sponsor, supporting the celebration of culinary talent, innovation and excellence.”
Spotlighting hidden gems and newcomers
Eat Out’s dedicated team of scouts – made up of qualified chefs, food and wine experts, and key industry players – have also been visiting restaurants, uncovering hidden gems and newcomers across the country. Those scored higher than 70% by a scout have already filtered into the judges’ shortlist. The new multi-stage review process means two judges go to these establishments to ratify the scouting score before Eat Out sends the remaining panel.
Note that restaurants considered for star awards must have been open by 1 July 2024, but any new restaurant may be considered for the prestigious Best New Restaurant Award.
Restaurants had the opportunity to motivate why they should be considered for judging. (Submissions closed on 31 July.)
Cumming concludes: “We’re delighted to kick off the search for South Africa’s next culinary stars and can’t wait to celebrate these restaurants and the passionate people behind them in April 2025!”
Follow Eat Out for updates: https://www.eatout.co.za and https://www.instagram.com/eatoutguide
