It appears that critics are unanimous in their opinion of Sydney restaurant Quay as the best Australia has to offer at the moment, following the Savour Australia National Awards for Excellence run by the Restaurant and Catering Association of Australia. The Awards, which were held at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre last night, saw Quay take the coveted honour as Australian Restaurant of the Year from a quality field of state and territory winners. The harbourside restaurant, which... ...Read more »
American consumers aren’t feeling particularly jolly heading into the holiday shopping season this year with more than one-third (35 per cent) of American consumers across all income levels expecting to spend less, according to new research from The Nielsen Company. With an economy in turmoil, only six per cent expect to spend more and fifty per cent of consumers surveyed expect to spend the same amount as last year during the holiday shopping season. Fortunately, the Australian economy in... ...Read more »
A recent survey by American foodservice consultants Technomic revealed that a substantial number of consumers consistently turn to restaurants and food retailers to fill the stomachs of their guests when hosting parties and other social events in their homes. More than one in three respondents reported that they’ve ordered meals or platters for meetings, parties, and social occasions, with 79 per cent reporting that these purchases were for personal social occasions rather than work-related... ...Read more »
Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore MP last night announced the winners of this year’s City of Sydney Business Awards, with Almond Bar, Crema 55, Sassy Treats and DARE - Delicious and Responsible Eating among the award winners. Atlassian, a small software company started by two young graduates in 2002, took the top honour as Business of the Year. “This year’s City of Sydney Business Awards saw an enormous number of entries, as well as a record number of attendees to the Gala Awards Dinner,... ...Read more »
New food safety standards that will give added protection to people in hospitals and aged care facilities came into effect on 18 August, 2008.The Vulnerable Persons Food Safety Scheme will mean NSW’s 1,300 public and private hospitals and aged care facilities will be required to have mandatory food safety programs. The new laws, which will protect vulnerable people in the community including seniors and those that are unwell, mean that hospitals and aged-care facilities will be subject to regular... ...Read more »
Australian frozen food manufacturer Vesco Foods has announced it will stop producing coated fish products over the course of the next three to four months. The Perth-based business currently provides frozen meal products and frozen coated fish products to many leading national and international brands including supermarkets, retail outlets, restaurants and catering institutions. Vesco Foods Chief Executive Officer, Ian Halliday, said the decision followed an extensive review of the company’s... ...Read more »
Sydney has spoken, sending thousands of emails and text messages to decide the finalists for this year’s City of Sydney Business Awards.”In just one month, we received nearly 10,000 votes from members of the public who want to support local small businesses, which shows a fabulous amount of community spirit,” reported Lord Mayor Clover Moore MP. “This year’s Business Awards are by far the most professional, competitive and sustainable City of Sydney has ever produced.... ...Read more »
The Federal Budget, announced on May 13, has changed legislation to ensure that workplace lunches can no longer be considered a salary sacrifice. Paying for lunch with pre-tax money has, not surprisingly, become increasingly popular over the past few years and caterers are disappointed with the government’s decision. In order to receive the benefits employees needed to have a ’smart card’ and upload credit to make pre-tax lunch purchases. The savings for employees were... ...Read more »