Brownes wins catering trade `Oscar'

Brownes Brasserie and Townhouse, 22 St Stephen's Green, Dublin 2 has scooped the prestigious Cateys Newcomer of the Year award 2001 - and in doing so is the first Republic of Ireland winner in that category in the history of the award.

Describing the Cateys as "the Oscars of the catering world", owner Barry Canny said the accolade represented "a huge professional stamp" for Brownes.

The 80-seat Brasserie opened in December, 1998, followed by the 12-bed townhouse element four months later. In that period, turnover increased from £1.6m (2.03) in the first year to £2.2m (2.79) in the second, and is expected to exceed that by more than £500,000 (635,000) this year.

The ethos behind this success, says Canny, is "five-star food and accommodation at three-star prices".

"We run the business tightly and receive a good profit percentage for what we do. Most of the main courses in our restaurant are under £20 (25.40)."

Rooms range from £120 (152.40) a night to £300 (381) for the grand suite.

It has been an awards roller-coaster for the business as it has already won the Gilbeys 2000 Gold Medal Award for excellence in Catering and the Bushmills Malt 2000 Best Restaurant Appearance.

Previous winners in the Catey Academy newcomer category include Marco Piere White and Northern Ireland chefs Paul and Jeanne Rankin.

The Catey awards, which are in their 18th year, have over 16 categories covering every facet of operation in the catering industry in the UK and Ireland including hotels, restaurants, pubs, housekeeping and management. The candidates in each category are nominated by readers of the Caterer and Hotel-keeper.

Michael Bannister, one of the judges and the chairman of last year's newcomer winner, Coniston Hall Lodge, commented in Caterer and Hotel-keeper on Canny's "excellent business acumen" in spotting an opportunity when 22, St Stephen's Green was put on the market.

Canny was involved in the purchase of the former Friendly Brother of St Patrick club, a listed building, through Trinity Estates, which advertised the lease in the mid-1990s. In 1996 he decided to take on the project himself which took over two years and cost £1.75 million in refurbishment. Canny attributes Browne's meteoric rise to its staff of 36.

"You need a lot of people in this kind of operation and they are very committed."

The award will boost the restaurant and hotel's profile in Britain, which he considers one of its most important markets.

But the best part of winning is that many had predicted the venture would flounder.

"I put everything on the line to start the business and was told it would never work. The banks didn't want to know. There was two years of banging my head against the wall, thinking nobody recognised the potential. So it's great to know that somebody somewhere understands what you are doing."