Mandurah's foodies can rejoice with four local eateries nominated in The Catering Institute’s 2014 Gold Plate awards.
Catch 22 Restaurant, The Coffee Club Mandurah, Red Manna Waterfront Restaurant and Yogi Contemporary Indian Restaurant have all been nominated in this year’s awards and the owners hope Mandurah will be a deserving home to all seven nominated categories.
“Mandurah is not a little country town anymore,” The Coffee Club Mandurah owner Cush Gooch said.
“We’re not just fish and chips.”
“Mandurah has evolved as a food scene,” Red Manna owner Jason Hutchen said.
“Any sort of cuisine you can think of, Mandurah has it, which shows the growth the industry has had here.”
The aim of the Gold Plate is to not only reward excellence in hospitality but to drive customers to the restaurants by aligning the establishments with the award.
With a record number of nominations in this year’s awards, Mr Hutchen said it showed it was a renowned award.
“It has started to become an incentive for me and my staff,” Catch 22 Restaurant owner Jiah Minifie said.
“Everyone tries to reach that goal.”
“[People who work in the industry] need to be proud of their business and the quality of service they provide,” The Coffee Club Mandurah owner Kevin Gooch said.
“It should bring the standards of the area up, which brings everyone else up.”
With the amount of good competition in the area, Mr Minifie said it was important for businesses to keep coming up with new ways of doing things to set themselves apart.
“We’ve changed quite dramatically in the last two years for the better,” he said.
“And we’re a lot smarter in what we do.”
“No matter what you do, there is always more ways to improve,” Ms Gooch said.
The 2014 Gold Plate awards will be presented at a gala dinner on October 20.