Accolades have been dished out to Inverness city centre bars that have been deemed among the best in the business.
Representatives of several businesses received prizes at the Best Bar None Awards at the Mercure Hotel, with Johnny Foxes & The Den being crowned the overall best bar none for Inverness alongside collecting an accolade for innovation in social responsibility as well as meeting gold standard.
Innovation in Social Responsibility – Johnny Foxes & The Den. Picture: Callum Mackay.Johnny Foxes & The Den. Picture: Callum Mackay.
“I am absolutely delighted for Team Foxes to pick up three prestigious awards,” said the venue’s owner Don Lawson, who as local Pubwatch chairman worked with Inverness BID to organise the annual awards.
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“It makes all the hard work of maintaining standards and running a busy venue so worthwhile. We are now looking forward to representing Inverness at the national finals along with the other category winners of the night.”
Best Newcomer – Playback. Picture: Callum Mackay.Heart of the Community – The Gellions. Picture: Callum Mackay.
Playback was given the best newcomer award, while The Gellions picked up the award for heart of the community.
Several other winners go forward to the national finals on March 27 in Stirling, including The Auctioneers (BBN Pub/Bar), Highlander (BBN Independent Pub/Bar), Johnny Foxes & The Den (BBN Late Pub/Bar) and The Chieftain Hotel (BBN Hotel Bar).
Inverness BID chair Gordon McIntosh – who presented the awards alongside Inverness Provost Glynis Campbell Sinclair – said: “We know times have been tough in recent years. For hospitality, there remain challenges such as recruitment, staff retention, training and attracting increased custom, not to mention the hike in National Insurance rates from April. But, you have shown your resilience and determination in the continuous improvements thus far.
33 Church Street (Mercure). Picture: Callum Mackay.Highlander. Picture: Callum Mackay.Jimmy Badgers. Picture: Callum Mackay.
“Thank you for your tenacity, hard work, and for your ability to be innovative, finding solutions to challenges, sometimes through adversity.
“Our hospitality sector remains vital to the Inverness economy and that of the whole Highlands and Islands. So I thank all of you, including your dedicated teams, for being such a valued and valuable part of our business community.”
The King’s Highway. Picture: Callum Mackay.The Chieftain Hotel. Picture: Callum Mackay.Monty’s. Picture: Callum Mackay.
He explained The Gellions was named heart of the community because “as a business they pride themselves on being a welcoming music venue and a traditional hub for a clientele of all ages, musical genres and sporting persuasions, regularly offering their support to good causes”.
He told the audience Johnny Foxes & The Den had consistently demonstrated a commitment to improve the support, welfare and best interests of their customers, their staff and the wider community over many years. The premises was hailed for its investment in staff training and partnership work with organisations allowing for modern apprenticeships.
A raffle and red card/yellow card game generated £800 for the city’s Medical Emergency Response Team which helps people on nights out.
The Gellions. Picture: Callum Mackay.The White House. Picture: Callum Mackay.The Wee Bar. Picture: Callum Mackay.Lauders. Picture: Callum Mackay.The Caledonian. Picture: Callum Mackay.Scotch & Rye. Picture: Callum Mackay.Platform 8. Picture: Callum Mackay.R&B’s. Picture: Callum Mackay.The Auctioneers. Picture: Callum Mackay.Playback. Picture: Callum Mackay.