Restaurant Manager of the Year: Finalists revealed

17-Sep-2013 - Last updated on 18-Sep-2013 at 11:50 GMT

Twelve entrants made it through to this year's semi-finals

Eight of the best restaurant managers in the UK have made it through to the final of the Restaurant Manager of the Year competition after a testing semi-final held in Staffordshire earlier this week.

The competition, run by the Academy of Food & Wine Service (AFWS), saw a range of entrants this year, with the final competitors coming from casual dining restaurants, gastropubs, fine dining and contract catering.

John Croft, executive director of the AFWS, said: “A good restaurant manager, wherever they work, must have great service skills, be able to relate to customers, manage staff, work under pressure, have a strong business acumen and be as familiar with the profit and loss accounts as they are with food and wine knowledge.”

The Restaurant Manager of the Year finalists are: 

Shaun Corrigan, Grand Jersey Hotel & Spa, Jersey
Louise Denton, BaxterStorey at the English National Opera, London WC2
Rebecca Galland, The Vineyard, Stockcross, Berkshire
Clement Joseph, Royal Automobile Club, London SW1
Stephen Morrison, La Vallee Blanche, Glasgow
Paul Shanahan, Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons, Oxfordshire
Nola Sheng, The Hawksmoor, Spitalfields London E1
Janine Swales, BaxterStorey at Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, London N17

The final will be held at London’s Westbury Hotel on 7 October where finalists will be set a series of tasks designed to test their skills, knowledge and business sense.

Last year’s competition was won by Peter McAlister of the Culloden Estate and Spa in Belfast.