Connecting to the community

The £20,000 top prize will go to the overall winner, half of which will go to the landlord and the other half to be used for a community event. Two runners-up prizes of £10,000 each will also be split between landlords and the funding of community events. A further 15 smaller prizes, ranging from £500 to £1,000, are available for landlords to arrange community events.

Running a successful pub or restaurant requires expertise, dedication and real passion, says Chris Gardiner, UK marketing lead for Kraft Heinz, which is the global giant behind Heinz sauces.

“It’s a people business and in an increasingly competitive eating-out market, the connection that a business makes with its local community can make all the difference.

“That’s why at Heinz we want to celebrate, raise awareness of and promote pubs and restaurants that go that extra mile.”

Encourage them to vote​

To promote the competition to customers and to encourage them to vote for their local pub, Heinz is giving away free promotional point-of-sale kits and sample packs of sauces to landlords.

“We’re aiming this at the local independent pubs that might not have the big spending power to market and promote their premises,” Gardiner adds.

“Operators should really take part in this because it’s all about rewarding them for the hard work they put into making their communities a better place.”

Voting started on 16 October and will close on 31 January 2016. Landlords must register for their packs by no later than 30 November.

Customers can vote for their pub online, by phone or text and must include their name, the name of the pub and the pub’s postcode.

Once the voting has closed, the 20 most voted for pubs will be shortlisted and contacted by 6 February next year and asked to submit a validation entry.

‘Take to the road’​

“Once the shortlist has been created, a judging panel will take to the road and visit the stand-out pubs to determine the winner,” reveals Gardiner.

“We’re going to come to your pub and talk to you about what you think makes it a special place and good for the community.”

To support pubs throughout the autumn and winter months, Heinz has also put together a series of videos to help chefs try to create new dishes. The dishes, along with the promotional packs can be downloaded from www. Heinzheroes .co .uk along with recipe cards, explains Gardiner.

“We’ve never done a competition like this before and we’re already receiving high levels of response from customers who want to vote for their favourite pub.

“It’s a great opportunity for pubs and their customers to say that they are great at what they do in the community.”