If you are looking to win a restaurant award such as the Asian Restaurant and Takeaway Award, what comes to your mind at first? Is it how your signature dish tastes? The ambience of your dining room? How many loyal customers you built over the years?
All of these matter, of course. But there’s one crucial factor that quietly influences every award judge, critic, and even your regulars — and that’s your food hygiene.
Good hygiene is surely the backbone of your restaurant’s reputation, although it might not be as glamorous as innovating your menu or plating design. Without good hygiene, food with even the best taste will fall flat. So if you aim to secure a spot on the shortlist of any UK-based restaurant award, your food hygiene standards need to be spotless.
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More Than Clean: The Psychology Behind Food Hygiene
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You have to understand that maintaining food hygiene isn’t just about getting through the inspections and avoiding fines. It has all to do with trust. When customers visit your restaurant or go through your menu, they are not just assessing your food photos. They also check out how clean and hygienic your restaurant is, as it means that you are professional and you care about safety.
Food industry awards judges aren’t immune to these perceptions either. A spotless kitchen, polished cutlery, and well-trained staff show that you’re not only serving food, you’re running a tight, professional operation. Judges want to back businesses that reflect well on the industry.
In fact, poor hygiene is one of the most common disqualifying factors in many restaurant competitions, including the ARTA, Curry Life Awards, the British Curry Awards, and local council-recognised culinary events. Your hygiene rating might never be announced on stage, but you can bet it’s reviewed behind closed doors.
Hygiene Ratings and Their Impact on Restaurant Awards
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Here’s something that’s often overlooked: your Food Standards Agency (FSA) hygiene rating is public. It’s visible online, often appears on Google listings, and many restaurant award panels use it as a benchmark.
If your hygiene rating isn’t a perfect five, your chances of making it to the finalist stage of a major award, especially those focusing on culinary excellence and community impact, are significantly lower.
It’s not just a tick-box requirement. It’s a reflection of your leadership, consistency, and accountability.
And let’s not forget: a top-tier hygiene score is also a magnet for diners. Many customers actively avoid restaurants with low hygiene ratings, especially families and health-conscious consumers — the same groups who are often the most vocal supporters when voting season for curry oscars or other local food awards kicks off.
How Hygiene Affects Your Award-Winning Potential
Picture this: a restaurant serves outstanding biryani, and their service is warm and attentive. But one look inside the kitchen reveals clutter, inconsistent sanitisation, and poorly stored ingredients. Now imagine a second restaurant that is equally great in flavour but has rigorous hygiene protocols, spotless equipment, and a manager who runs daily pre-service checks.
Which one do you think gets nominated? Which one ends up in press coverage?
Award committees aren’t only interested in flavour. They look at your entire operation — your kitchen practices, how you store and source ingredients, how your staff handle food, and whether you uphold the standards expected by the public and the industry.
Food hygiene is proof that you take your business seriously. You cannot fake it during a one-day inspection or a single award submission. It shows up in the details: how your team handles food, how often surfaces are cleaned, and how rigorously you follow food safety protocols even on busy nights.
Hygiene as a Culture, Not a Chore
If you’re aiming to win any reputable restaurant award, hygiene must be embedded into your culture, not just performed for show. That means ongoing staff training, regular audits, and creating a system that holds everyone accountable.
Award-winning restaurants often have one thing in common: a kitchen culture that values discipline just as much as creativity. They understand that hygiene isn’t the opposite of innovation — it’s its foundation. You can’t serve cutting-edge dishes if your prep station isn’t cleaned properly. You can’t wow judges with consistency if your cold chain breaks during storage.
When hygiene is part of your ethos, everything else — customer satisfaction, staff morale, online reviews, award nominations — tends to align.
The Digital Hygiene Trail: Online Reviews and Reputation
In today’s digital-first world, cleanliness travels. A photo of a dirty table, a complaint about smelly toilets, or a bad hygiene report can go viral overnight. Conversely, glowing reviews about your restaurant’s cleanliness, presentation, and attention to safety can act as powerful marketing fuel, particularly when the food industry awards season rolls around.
Google reviews, TripAdvisor, and social media now play a big role in shaping public opinion and even influencing restaurant award outcomes. So don’t underestimate the power of your hygiene narrative online. A clean kitchen might just be your best PR tool.
Your Hygiene Game Plan for Awards Success
So, what should you do if you’re serious about taking home a restaurant award?
Start with an internal audit. Review your FSA rating. Check your kitchen logs, fridge temperatures, staff training records, and cleaning schedules. Are they consistent? Are they documented? Can you show evidence?
Make food safety training part of your onboarding and regular staff development. Stay ahead of regulation updates and industry expectations. And crucially, lead by example. When your team sees you prioritising hygiene, they’ll follow suit.
Awards aren’t just handed out for flavour. They’re earned through discipline, consistency, and professionalism — all of which begin with hygiene.
FAQ: Food Hygiene and Restaurant Awards
- Can poor food hygiene really disqualify me from restaurant awards?
Yes. There are many restaurant award panels that take food hygiene into account when they are assessing restaurants for awards. More so if the criteria includes visiting the restaurant or FSA ratings, if you get a low score, it can impact your chances or might even lead to disqualification. - How can I improve my food hygiene rating before applying for awards?
You need to focus on training your staff regularly, having a daily hygiene checklist in place, keeping your food safety management system updated, and carrying out mock inspections. You need to be consistent throughout. - Do customers care about food hygiene when choosing a restaurant?
Absolutely. It’s common for customers to check hygiene ratings online before they visit a restaurant. If you are in the running for a restaurant award, then you need to focus on maintaining good hygiene, as it builds trust, encourages customers to visit again, and can also influence votes in the awards.
Wrapping Up
Source: harpersbazaar.com
When your goal is to be recognised among the best Asian restaurants in the UK, don’t overlook the importance of hygiene. It’s not just a legal requirement. It’s your ticket to respect, recognition, and real results on the food industry awards stage.
