The Railway Hotel in Parkes has done it!
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After three years of finalist nominations, the local hotel has won the Best Regional Casual Dining in Western NSW at the 2019 Australian Hotels Association (AHA) NSW Awards for Excellence.
And owners Kasie Ferguson and Bianca Sheridan couldn't be happier.
In fact the business was also a finalist in the Best Parmi, Best Cheap Eat Meal (Under $15) and Best Regional TAB Venue categories on the night, with Bianca also being nominated by AHA for a second time in three years for Best Individual Operator.
A crowd of more than 1200 industry leaders attended the gala awards at The Star Event Centre in Pyrmont last Tuesday, November 19.
This year more than 600 nominations were received for the industry's most prestigious awards across a record 45 categories.
"We entered the Best Regional Casual Dining and this year was the third year we were a finalist for that category," Kasie said.
"We were very excited, it was the one we were hoping we'd win because we've been so close previously.
"Our judging notes (in previous years) were so good."
It was an anxious wait for Kasie, Bianca and employee Matt Creith, who accompanied the couple to Sydney.
"They didn't announce the award until 10.30pm so we were hanging out all night for it," Kasie laughed.
"It was definitely worth the wait.
"We've been working towards [the best customer experience] for the last nine years.
"Our dining experience is getting bigger and better."
The demand was growing so much, the hotel needed a bigger kitchen and they now employ six full-time chefs.
"Our food trade is just huge," Kasie said.
"[As a business owner], it's really good. We did see a downturn a couple of years ago because of the drought - I'm sure everyone is feeling that.
"But now we've got a lot of tradespeople coming in and INLink staff.
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"We do online orders now - we're always looking for ways for it to be easier and better for our customers, and doing things differently.
"Our level of service is the point of difference - we always make sure we have lots of staff on hand for our customers and to clear tables."
Tuesday's award wasn't the Railway Hotel's first from AHA - in 2014 the hotel won Best Keno Venue in the Country Region and in 2017 it was highly commended for Best Innovative Refurbishment regarding its Hart Bar.
"We'd love to thank our customers who have supported us, especially for the last nine years we've been here, and to all of our staff because they're the reason we were able to collect that award," Kasie said.
Following the awards, AHA NSW CEO John Whelan said the night's winners really did set the standard across the hotel industry.
"The bar was set extremely high this year with more than 600 nominations from right across NSW," he said.
"It is particularly pleasing to see so many regional hotels entering this year when many have been doing it tough in drought-stricken - and now bushfire ravaged - communities.
"Regional hotels in particular are the hearts of their communities and it is great to see so many of them among the finalists and winners tonight."
The Railway Hotel is now eligible to apply for the Best Bistro Award at the national awards in 2020.
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