Best Practice - Savour Australia Plate Ratings and the T-QUAL Tick

The Savour Australia™ Restaurant & Catering Awards for Excellence set the national benchmark.  They are the most important and respected industry awards in Australia.

Establishments are assessed according to a predetermined, research-based and standardised set of criteria – making it the only truly systematic restaurant industry awards program in Australia.  Judges and evaluators are formally trained in the application of the standardised criteria, ensuring it is truly objective.

During the judging process, each entrant is rated against 55 criteria – 66 in the case of fine dining establishments.  Under scrutiny are aspects such as food, service, drinks, atmosphere and value for money.  Once each of the criteria is rated, the establishment is assigned a weighting to allow for those aspects that consumers consider more significant in the whole dining experience.  The overall weighted total is used to compare establishments and determine winners.  Winners are named across 35 awards categories including Restaurant of the Year and Caterer of the Year.

For more information on the Savour Australia Awards for Excellence, CLICK HERE.

Savour Australia™ Ratings

Savour Australia™ Ratings are the first ever nationally recognised restaurant rating system in Australia.  They provide an unbiased, systematically-assessed guide to Australia’s best dining experiences.

Savour Australia™ Ratings are illustrated by plate icons – one (1) to five (5) out of a possible five, mathematically derived from the scores received in the annual Savour Australia™ Awards for Excellence.  These ratings are published annually in the Food & Wine Atlas of Australia and on the Savour Australia™ Restaurant and Caterers Guide (found at www.restaurantcater.asn.au). 

Please bear in mind that although all restaurants judged as part of of the Awards are eligible to receive a Savour Australia™ Rating, not every establishment listed in the Food & Wine Atlas of Australia or on the Restaurant and Caterers Guide will appear with a rating.  This is not because it provides a lesser experience than the others, it simply may not have entered and been judged as part of the Savour Australia™ Awards for Excellence, it may have elected not to have the rating published, or it may not have been eligible to enter the Awards because it has won the award in the relevant category more than three (3) years in a row.

The icons:

= indicates the establishment is in the fourth most highly rated group for the previous year

= indicates the establishment is in the third most highly rated group for the previous year

= indicates the establishment is in the second most highly rated group for the previous year

= indicates the establishment is in the most highly rated group for the previous year

Half plates are also used when the rating is between two levels.  The icons have been awarded on the basis of the 55 or 66 judging criteria used in the Awards for Excellence system and are based on specific consumer expectations in relation to the entire dining experience.

The T-QUAL Tick

Every finalist in the Savour Australia™ Restaurant & Catering HOSTPLUS Awards for Excellence who receives a plate rating (from 2011 onwards) will now also receive Tourism Australia's T-QUAL accreditation.

The T-QUAL Tick is an easily recognisable and national symbol of tourism quality. It is a valuable endorsement that helps consumers make more informed choices when selecting tourism products and creates a competitive point of difference for businesses. 

The T-QUAL Tick is available to businesses and operators that are members of
T-QUAL endorsed accreditation programs. Restaurant and Catering's Savour Australia Plate Rating Scheme is one of these endorsed accreditation programs.
Businesses and operators that display the T-QUAL Tick benefit from:

1. Increased marketing exposure;
2. Increased online distribution via a partnership with TripAdvisor;
3. A competitive point of difference; and
4. An immediate and ongoing boost to business credibility.

On behalf of the Tourism Quality Council of Australia (TQCA) , Tourism Australia will promote the T-QUAL Tick to consumers as the new, national symbol of tourism quality. This will be achieved through a range of consumer-facing channels including online advertising, digital partnerships, social media and other PR activities. Consumers will be encouraged to look for and book accredited products when planning their Australian holidays. 

When booking tourism products endorsed by the T-QUAL Tick, consumers can:

1. Be confident that their expectations will be met;
2. Trust consistently high standards will deliver quality experiences;
3. Enjoy quicker and easier holiday planning; and
4. Relax, knowing that they will be taken care of.

Operators can also sign up T-QUAL Newsletter - http://www.tourism.australia.com/en-au/subscriptions/tqual-newsletter.aspx

For more information on Tourism Australia's T-QUAL program, please click on the link below.

http://www.tourism.australia.com/en-au/industry/T-QUAL-Accreditation.aspx