Cheers to the 2024 James Beard Foundation Nominees
David Klemt
Partner, KRG Hospitality Inc. | Bar, Beverage and Guest Experience Coach | IHI 2024 Global Top 100 Social Media Influencers in Hospitality | Host of Bar Hacks, IHI 2024 Global Top 40 Hospitality Podcasts
If there’s any question as to whether we’re in F&B and hospitality award season, we can safely say that the answer is an emphatic “yes.”
Our look at the 2024 Bar & Restaurant Expo award winners is here. This year’s TAG Global Spirits Awards have been revealed. And, of course, we eagerly anticipate the 2024 North America’s 50 Best Bars ceremony (along with the rest of the World’s 50 Best announcements). There are also the 2024 Spirited Awards this July.
On June 10, winners of the 2024 James Beard Awards will be revealed. Below, you’ll find the nominees spanning 22 awards categories. Additionally, you’ll find the honorees of a number of awards, including Lifetime Achievement and Humanitarian of the Year.
Interestingly, the specific chefs awards are split into a dozen categories, by region: California, Great Lakes, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, Mountain, New York State, Northeast, Northwest and Pacific, Southeast, South, Southwest, and Texas.
This is how I learned that I in fact grew up in the Great Lakes area and not, apparently, the Midwest as I’ve believed for decades. Reality, shattered.
As far as the Outstanding Bar award goes, these are the nominees:
The nominees for Best New Restaurant are:
Cheers to this year’s honorees and nominees!
Visit KRGHospitality.com to read the official press release and see the honorees plus nominees.
Campspot’s Top Canadian & US Campgrounds
Campspot helps campers, road-trippers, and adventurers select their next place to call home when traveling throughout North America.
Visitors to the Campspot site will find reviews and lists of amenities for more than 230,000 campgrounds.
Further, they select ten campgrounds across several categories for their Campspot Awards. Below, the top ten Campspot campgrounds for 2024 in Canada and the US. Oh, and there’s a bonus section for the five glamping sites that earned Campspot Awards.
However, I’ve done more than just share a few awards lists. In this article, I’ve also shared what basics and amenities these campgrounds have in common, and a number of standout features.
It’s important for current and future campground operators to know what guests expect, and what will make their visits memorable (in a good way).
Let’s check out this year’s award winners!
2024 Campspot Awards: Canada
2024 Campspot Awards: US
For the amenities these campgrounds have in common, which amenities they have which are unique, and the top Campspot Glamping campgrounds, continue reading on KRGHospitality.com.
Program for Unique Holidays: April 2024
Do you want to stand out from from other restaurants and bars in your area? Change how you think about your April holiday programming.
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Several holidays are set against every date on the calendar, and this month is no exception. These holidays range from mainstream to esoteric.
Pay attention to the “weird” or unique holidays to raise eyebrows, carve out a niche for your restaurant or bar, and attract more guests. Why do what everyone else is already doing? Why program only around the same holidays as everyone else?
Of course, you shouldn’t try to celebrate every holiday, strange or otherwise. Focus on the days that are authentic to your brand; resonate with your guests; and help you grab attention on social media.
You’ll find suggestions for promotions below. However, the idea behind our monthly holiday promotions roundup is to inspire you and your team to get creative and come up with unique programming ideas.
For our March 2024 holidays list, click here.
April 5: Walk to Work Day
Operators who with bars and restaurants in walkable areas should leverage this holiday. People who walk to work should reward themselves by walking to a bar or restaurant for dinner and a drink after work. Of course, operators open for breakfast and dinner should encourage guests to walk in for a treat to start their day, and another treat (or two) to end it.
April 6: New Beer’s Eve
As the name implies, we celebrate this holiday the day before another holiday in the US: National Beer Day.
Operators who really want to help New Beer’s Eve gain a loyal following among their guests can bring in new beers for their guests to try on this holiday.
April 8: National Empanada Day
How would you rate your empanadas? How would your guests rate your empanadas? If you and your team are proud of your emapanadas, this is their time to shine.
Continue reading on KRGHospitality.com.
5 Books to Read this Month: April 2024
Our inspiring and informative March book selections will help you improve operations, refresh and streamline F&B programming, and learn more about coffee.
This month, we look at books covering an array of topics: crafting and serving consistent drinks each shift; pretty much everything you've ever wanted to know about coffee; and developing recipes like a pro.
To review the book recommendations from March 2024, click here.
Let’s jump in!
Roundbuilding
Perhaps unsurprisingly, it seems like most cocktail books target home bartenders. In a refreshing change of pace, Roundbuilding is specifically for working bartenders. In case the name doesn’t give it away, this book is about crafting and serving consistent rounds of cocktails and ensuring a high standard of service.
From Amazon: “Roundbuiding is a practical guide to mixing cocktails, aimed at the working bartender. This is a book about ensuring that, for every round you serve, every drink is made to a consistently high standard, and that first sip always makes an impression. It’s the nuts and bolts of mixing drinks.”
The World Atlas of Coffee (2nd Edition)
This bestseller enjoys a 4.8-star rating on Amazon with nearly 4,000 reviews on the platform. The World Atlas of Coffee also boasts a score of 4.4 on Goodreads.
Written by World Barista Champion James Hoffman (who’s also the co-founder of a successful coffee roaster operating out of London), this book will provide the reader with just about everything they need to know about coffee. The rise in popularity of cocktails like the Carajillo and the near-constant chatter about the Espresso Martini got me thinking: I should probably include a coffee book in one of these roundups.
From Amazon: “Coffee has never been better, or more interesting, than it is today. Coffee producers have access to more varieties and techniques than ever before and we, as consumers, can share in that expertise to make sure the coffee we drink is the best we can find. Where coffee comes from, how it was harvested, the roasting process and the water used to make the brew are just a few of the factors that influence the taste of what we drink. Champion barista and coffee expert James Hoffmann examines these key factors, looking at varieties of coffee, the influence of terroir, how it is harvested and processed, the roasting methods used, through to the way in which the beans are brewed.”
For more book recommendations, visit KRGHospitality.com.