The Eat Out Mercedes-Benz Restaurant Awards: we want your feedback

Thank you for attending the 2014 Eat Out Mercedes-Benz Restaurant Awards. We hoped you enjoyed it as much as we did!

This year’s awards was by far our biggest yet. We’d appreciate if you could spare a few minutes to complete our online survey to provide honest feedback regarding your experience at the event on Sunday.

How would you rate your overall experience at the 2014 Eat Out Mercedes-Benz Awards on a scale from 1 to 10 (where 10 is the best score and 1 is the worst).
Did the 2014 Eat Out Mercedes-Benz Restaurant Awards exceed your overall expectations?
- Yes
- No
If no, how can we improve?
Do you agree/disagree that Thunder City Airport Hangar as a venue choice complemented the overall standard and expectations of the awards?
- Agree
- Disagree
- Indifferent
Please elaborate to your choice above
What was your opinion on the size of the event?
- Acceptable amount
- Too many guests
- Prefer it smaller
What did you enjoy about the Awards?
- Pre-drinks with Boschendal MCC and canapé installation
- The duration of the event
- Time to mingle with other guests
- Elana Afrika as MC
- The 20 nominee chef parade
- The food and wine pairing
- Elements of surprise throughout the evening
- The judges’ reveal
- The videos
- The food
- The chef and service staff parade
- The awards finale
- After party by Cafe Caprice and DJ Rene
- All of the above
- None of the above
- Other
[Tick as many as relevant]
If other, please elaborate
What didn't you enjoy about the Awards?
- Pre-drinks with Boschendal MCC and canapé installation
- The duration of the event
- Time to mingle with other guests
- Elana Afrika as MC
- The 20 nominee chef parade
- The food and wine pairing
- Elements of surprise throughout the evening
- The judges’ reveal
- The videos
- The food
- The chef and service staff parade
- The awards finale
- After party by Cafe Caprice and DJ Rene
- All of the above
- None of the above
- Other
[Tick as many as relevant]
If other, please elaborate
The overall duration of the Awards was...
- Too swift - the event too quickly
- An acceptable length
- Too long, but understandably
- Too long, I was bored
From your experience at the Awards, what was your highlight(s) of the evening?
Did you experience any downfalls to the evening that left you feeling disappointed?
How would you describe your ticketing experience with Webtickets this year?
- Simple and efficient
- Tricky, but I managed
- Preferred the process of previous years
- Not applicable - I didn't book my own ticket
This year Eat Out opted for electronic confirmation mailers. What were your thoughts?
- They were functional and all the information was easily accessible
- I preferred the printed invites
- I didn’t receive my electronic confirmation mailer
- Other
If other, please elaborate
Did you like being chauffeur-driven to the awards venue by Mercedes-Benz?
- Yes - it increased the glitz and glamour
- No - it wasn't necessary
Tell us about your experience with the registration process. Was it...
- Quick, slick and professional
- Unnecessarily long
- Clumsy - the hostess couldn't find me on the system
Any additional comments on your arrival experience at the Eat Out Mercedes-Benz Restaurant Awards?
In terms of the venue’s layout and visibility, were you able to clearly view the stage at all times?
- Yes
- No, but I didn’t mind as I could see the screens
- No, it was a downfall in my opinion
In terms of the venue’s layout, were you able to clearly hear the MC and speakers at all times?
- Yes, I could hear everything
- Yes, I could hear most of it and could follow the order of events easily enough
- No, but because I had full visibility, I didn’t mind too much
- No, the sound was disappointing and detracted from the awards
In general, what were your thoughts on the audio visuals used during the evening?
- They were great, loved them all
- They weren’t necessary
- They made the evening longer
- I liked them but I couldn’t hear the sound, which was a downfall
Did you enjoy the tone that was portrayed through the audio visual elements?
- Yes, I loved them
- No, it didn't reflect the individual chefs or brands well enough
- I'm indifferent
Any additional comments on the visibility, sound and layout at the Eat Out Mercedes-Benz Restaurant Awards?
How would you describe the evening’s food?
- Delicious
- An improvement compared to previous years
- Average
- A little too ‘out there’ for my tastes
- Terrible
What was your favourite course?
- Starter by Neil Jewell (Bread & Wine): “Bread and Charcuterie”
- First course by David Higgs (Five Hundred): “Urban Garden”
- Second course by George Jardine (Jordan Restaurant): “Jelly fish”
- Main course by PJ Vadas (The Hog House) and Bertus Basson (Overture): “Street-Style Feast”
- Dessert by Vanessa Marx (The White Room at Dear Me): “Caciotta Panna Cotta”
What was your least favourite course?
- Starter by Neil Jewell (Bread & Wine): “Bread and Charcuterie”
- First course by David Higgs (Five Hundred): “Urban Garden”
- Second course by George Jardine (Jordan Restaurant): “Jelly fish”
- Main course by PJ Vadas (The Hog House) and Bertus Basson (Overture): “Street-Style Feast”
- Dessert by Vanessa Marx (The White Room at Dear Me): “Caciotta Panna Cotta”
Did you enjoy the unique plating for each course?
- Yes, it was it in theme and well-suited to each course
- Yes, but I would also have enjoyed more traditional plating with cutlery
- No, it wasn’t necessary
- No, it made it difficult to eat the food
Tell us more about your thoughts on the evening's plating
If you had requested any specific dietary requirements, were they adhered to during the evening’s service?
- Yes
- No
- Not applicable
If you requested any specific dietary requirements was your meal delivered in a timely manner with no additional hassle to you as a guest?
- Yes
- No
- Not applicable
If no, please elaborate
Any additional comments on the food served at the Eat Out Mercedes-Benz Restaurant Awards?
How did you find the quality of the service you received on the evening?
- Notably an improvement from previous years
- Outstanding
- Acceptable
- Needs to improve
- Terrible
How would you describe the attire of the service staff?
- Neat and presentable
- Untidy
- Indifferent
How would you describe the attitude of the service staff?
- Friendly
- Knowledgeable
- Friendly and knowledgeable
- Uninterested
The chef and service staff parade was...
- Deserving - celebrating chefs and their staff is a must
- Great idea, but could have been shortened
- Too long winded
Based on your experience on Sunday, would you attend next year’s Eat Out Restaurant Awards?
- Yes - I can't wait
- No
If no, please elaborate why not
Did you feel that the ticket price, at R1 850 per ticket, was a fair reflection/price for the evening and its experience?
- Yes
- No
If no, what would you have expected to pay for the evening and its experience?
Did you make use of the Drive Alive services facilitated by Eat Out, prior to the event or through the travel concierge at the Awards?
- Yes - HomeHeroes
- Yes - Scooter Angels
- Yes - Uber
- No
If no, why not?
Did you stay for the festive celebration by Cafe Caprice, featuring DJ Rene?
- Yes
- No
If yes, in a few words, please include a highlight and lowlight.
Do you feel that the event was well-organised?
- Yes
- No
If no, please elaborate to help us improve
Lastly, we welcome any additional feedback that you may want to share with us
Thank you for taking the time to give us valuable feedback.

11 Comments

Adrian Kaplan
November 19, 2014

Overall a super evening but a bit too drawn out. Didn’t eat Pork so the vegetarian substitute could have been beef or chicken which would have been nice.
Inx
November 19, 2014

The event was way too long, and the food was not spectacular/on par of what I have eaten at these top restaurants before. More a networking event for those in the industry than something applicable to your lay foodie/diner.
mark dieler
November 19, 2014

Industrial and unfriendly location, cold and terrible acoustics.
Seemed to focus on being a glam event where quality of food was secondary.
Sub standard, did not represent the high level of south african top chefs.
Event for celebrities and staff, definitively not targeting gourmets/paying customers.
Price quality ratio a joke when comparing to tasting menues at south africa’s finest dining locations (and we do not mind spending significantly more for a good menu).
Alastair
November 19, 2014

We really enjoyed every moment of the event.

Lots of surprises throughout the evening kept things moving along.

Thanks for a glam, well executed and fun evening!
Shuli
November 19, 2014

Extremely disappointing food, particularly for an event of this nature where top chefs are being showcased.
Pinkie
November 19, 2014

In life we need a few WOW moments. Edible theatre. I can go out to dinner any night of the week and order a panna cotta. It would arrive with a decent, obligatory wobble and a brushstroke of some fruity sauce. I was expecting the same. However, I do love a panna cotta, so when a black bowl with a painted interior of white arrived I was, bereft!!! Where’s the wobble? I scooped up a spoonful. I tasted CHEESE!! Then I saw a guest rise from the table hoist a rolling pin and smash down on the contents of a rolled up piece of paper. “My word” I thought,”she is not a fan!” The parcel contained now-crushed honeycomb, to be sprinkled on the salty cheesy pool, followed by pumpkin seeds and scarlet berries….it was quite spectacularly unique. But, you ask, would I have preferred a wobbly one? Pass the rolling pin!
jacqui
November 19, 2014

Disappointing food, cold venue and poor sound. Black tie event with “street food”? I think not. Loved the Chef parade and acknowledging back of house teams. Overpriced for what we were served.
Chris von Ulmenstein
November 19, 2014

Food was terrible and cold, lighting dreadful for pics, sound terrible, poor form by Marthinus Ferreira to use inappropriate language from the stage, too many people, terribly cold inside venue. Loved the fresh take on ‘Best of’ awards (no Giorgio Nava hurrah!) and Top 10 list not controversial. Nice to meet so many industry people under one roof.
Dawie Scholtz
November 20, 2014

TERRIBLE FOOD, FREEZING VENUE. I will not attend again.
Paula Arentsen
November 20, 2014

Glamorous evening and well planned, unfortunately the food was a let down!
Errieda du Toit
November 21, 2014

Loved the conceptual nature of the event. Great and surprising elements. It is an awards evening, not merely an eating out event. Love the size of the event, it was made memorable because of it. Marthinus Ferreira however… He represented not only his restaurant but an industry -at which he failed dismally. Thank you for the Rising Star Award to an exemplary chef.