The Eat Out Woolworths Sustainability Award was launched last year, with the Table at De Meye Restaurant receiving the inaugural award, and entries for this year are now open. The award acknowledges a restaurant that serves seasonal, local and responsibly produced food.

“We launched the award to acknowledge the inspiring work that is already being done in the hospitality sector, and to increase awareness of the many ways in which a restaurant can become an economically and environmentally sustainable business,” says Eat Out editor Abigail Donnelly. “Feedback from the 2016 awards has already resulted in restaurant owners making more connections with their farmers, asking for proof of claims from suppliers, improving the education of their consumers, and taking steps to improve their own methods and menus.”

Entrants will be judged on a strict set of criteria, which include the sourcing of meat, seafood and fresh produce; the design of menus; the impact of the restaurant on its surrounding communities; treatment of staff; use of resources like water and electricity; and efforts to recycle.

The judges for this year’s Eat Out Woolworths Sustainability Award are Eat Out editor Abigail Donnelly, Pavitray Pillay of WWF-SASSI, Sonia Mountford of Eategrity and Karen Welter of the Longtable Project. The winner will be announced at the annual Eat Out Mercedes-Benz Restaurant Awards, which will be held at the end of the year.

To enter, restaurants are invited to complete the entry form, which lists the criteria against which they will be judged. All criteria need to have been met for six months or longer in order for a restaurant to qualify. Interested parties can download the entry form from the Eat Out website by clicking here or email awards@eatout.co.za to request a form. The closing date for entries is 31 August 2017.