An exciting new award has been added to the line-up at the Eat Out Mercedes-Benz Restaurant Awards. For the first time this year, we’ll announce the winner of the Eat Out Nespresso Innovation Award.

Nespresso is known to be the world’s pioneer and reference of innovations for high quality portioned coffee and machines that strives to put the extraordinary into everything they do. Similarly, the Eat Out Nespresso Innovation Award seeks to celebrate the extraordinary in the restaurant industry, says chief judge Margot Janse. “It will be awarded to a restaurant, a person or an experience showing individuality, originality and forward-thinking. We are looking for those who are pushing the boundaries in exceptional and relevant creativity.

“The winner will not necessarily be in the 30 nominees, which is super exciting, as it allows us to celebrate a broader spectrum of talent. We’re looking for true innovation and fresh ingenuity, wherever we find it,” she says.

Who will the winner of this award be?

It could be a restaurant delivering distinctive presentation, or a person experimenting with new techniques or ingredients. It could be an innovative pop-up restaurant experience or a truly astonishing and creative location.

“The Eat Out Nespresso Innovation Award winner will be a person, restaurant or team that’s doing it their way, telling their own story,” describes Margot.

The winner of the award will be chosen by the same anonymous team of experts that judges the rest of the awards, convened by chief judge Margot Janse. Each judge will motivate their nomination, after which the judging group will reach a joint decision.

“I can’t wait to see what brilliance is out there this year,” says Margot. “I’m so excited about this new award, as it highlights the importance of individualism in our industry.”

About the sponsor

Nespresso is the world’s pioneer and reference for highest-quality portioned coffee that strives to put the extraordinary into everything they do. It means doing what’s right rather than what’s easy every step of the way, to inspire tasteful and meaningful living.

It all began with a simple but revolutionary idea to enable anyone to create the perfect cup of espresso, just like a skilled barista. Nespresso now works with more than 75 000 farmers in 12 countries through its AAA Sustainable Quality Program to embed sustainability practices on coffee farms and their surrounding landscapes. The program helps to improve the yield and quality of harvests, ensuring a sustainable supply of high quality coffee and improving livelihoods of farmers and their communities.

Headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, Nespresso operates in 76 countries and, in 2017, it operated a global retail network of more than 700 boutiques. For more information, visit Nespresso on www.buynespresso.com