Major awards for Ocean View Estates

The team at Ocean View Estates is still celebrating after winning not one, but two industry gongs in the same week.

Ocean View was named the Best Restaurant in a Winery at Restaurant and Catering Australia’s Queensland/Northern Territory Awards and Best Restaurant Reception by the Australian Bridal Industry Association’s Queensland Awards.

Owner and manager Kate Honnef says winning the prestigious awards was particularly special because many members of the team in the winery’s restaurant were new to the business.

Weddings from the heart

“It’s just been great for morale,” Kate says. “Everyone feels like a team now.”

She says the awards are also a bright spot in what has been a challenging year for the hospitality industry, with the ABIA gong an honour because they were nominated by couples who had held their wedding at Ocean View Estates.

“It recognises our consistency and the passion of the staff – our weddings come from the heart.”

Diverse experiences

Despite the year’s challenges, Kate says the COVID-19 pandemic also allowed Ocean View Estates to evaluate and streamline their dining experiences.

“We were doing things we thought we had to do as a winery,” she says.

“With COVID, we got to think about how we could make everything better – for us and for our customers.”

The result was the Cellar Door becoming the Providore, providing a casual dining and picnic or takeaway experience, with a menu filled with fabulous food.

Focus on the experience

Kate says the change allowed the restaurant to focus on its fine dining offering.

“This has meant the restaurant can focus on really great service and the whole experience,” she explains.

“What we do in each area we do really, really well and having different dining options reaches to a greater audience and means guests can come more often experiencing different offerings each time.”

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