Restaurateurs Robin Rowland and Andrew Guy and hoteliers Maurice Taylor and David Levin recognised in New Year's Honours
Scottish operator Maurice Taylor, restaurateurs Robin Rowland and Andrew Guy and veteran hotelier David Levin are among those from the hospitality industry to have received awards in the Queen's New Year Honours list for 2016.
Taylor, founder of Chardon Trading, which owns and operates five Holiday Inn Express hotels and one Holiday Inn in Scotland, was made a CBE and Rowland (pictured), who joined Yo! Sushi in 1999 and led a £10m management buyout of the company in 2003, was made an OBE for services to the restaurant and hospitality industry.
Meanwhile, Levin, the founder of London's five-AA-star, 49-bedroom Capital hotel, who was named The Caterer's Hotelier of the Year in 1994, has been appointed an MBE for services to hospitality and youth training, along with Guy, who won the Group Restaurateur of the Year Catey in 2003, who was also recognised for his work in industry and his charity commitments.
Until last year, Taylor was also chief executive of Chardon Management, which operated over 50 hotels around the UK under a variety of global brands before being sold to the hotel management giant Interstate Hotels and Resorts.
Rowland's hospitality career began in 1984 when he became area manager at 20 venues within the Whitbread Inns group, including a Michelin-starred restaurant and a Brewers Fayre. Following a series of career moves within restaurant operations, he joined what is now the Restaurant Group, bringing him to London and adding to his experience in managing multi-site groups.
Since joining Yo! Sushi, Rowland has helped grow the group to more than 30 sites, including in difficult spaces owned by Selfridges, BAA and Harrods, plus international openings across the US and in Norway; and helped oversee a second management buyout of more than £50m by investor Quilvest. The group is now owned by Mayfair Equity Partners after they bought the group for a rumoured £81m in November.
Born in Glasgow, Levin entered the industry in 1952 at the city's Central hotel as a commis waiter at the Malmaison restaurant. He undertook a formal education at the Scottish Hotel School, as well as completing his hospitality training with British Transport Hotels.
His first foray into hotel ownership came in 1965 at the Royal Oak, a seven-bedroom pub with rooms in Yattendon, Berkshire. Here, he played a pivotal role in pioneering the concept of the British gastropub and in 1974 his head chef Richard Shepherd won a star in the first Michelin guide to the UK, for the Capital's restaurant.
Over the years he has championed a plethora of star chefs including Brian Turner, Paul Merrett, Gary Rhodes, Eric Chavot and currently Nathan Outlaw. He is also visiting professor at Oxford Brookes and Strathclyde universities and the benefactor behind a training restaurant at Oxford Brookes.
Levin commented: "I am delighted and acknowledge that it is a huge honour to be recognised this way for my work in an industry that I have been so passionate about for over 60 years. Youth training for the hospitality sector has never been more important and I will continue to create and support opportunities where I can."
Although Levin's daughter Kate is now general manager of the hotel, he continues to play an active role in the Capital, greeting guests arriving at the hotel he opened in 1971 whenever he is in London.
Similarly, Ed's Easy Diner chief executive Guy has more than 40 years' experience within the hospitality industries of the UK, Europe and US, including at Gourmet Holdings and the Restaurant Group, where he helped improve the prospects of brands such as Garfunkel's and created the now-thriving Frankie & Benny's.
The rapidly-expanding Ed's Easy Diner - aiming for 100 sites by September 2018 - also recently reported a strong profit growth, with EBITDA up 51.4% to £5.9m in the most recent results.
Supplier Clare Blampied, managing director of Italian food producer Sacla' UK, was also made an OBE for services to the food industry.
Blampied, who established Sacla' in the UK in 1991, when it was the first company to sell pesto on the mainstream UK consumer market, and who launched Professionale Portfolio, a collection of Italian food and drink for UK catering businesses this year, commented: "With Sacla' celebrating 25 years in the UK in 2016, I am immensely grateful to have been selected for such an honour at such a special time. The award is for everyone who has supported me and helped to build the business to where it is today."
The 2016 New Year' Honours build on the success of last year's list, whose hospitality names included Simon Vincent, UK boss of Hilton Worldwide, and caterer Wendy Bartlett.
Other hospitality names on this year's 2016 list were:
MBE for Christine McCoy, manager of diversity, equality and accessible tourism of tourist board VisitScotland, for services to social equality
MBE for councillor David Lancaster of the Salford Council, for services to the community in Salford and charitable services to elderly people through the Salfordian Hotel Trust
New Year's Honours 2015: awards for Simon Vincent and Wendy Bartlett >>
Awards for Julia Sibley and Corbin & King in New Year Honours 2014 List >>Are you looking for a new role? See all the current hospitality vacancies available with The Caterer Jobs >>
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