MOSSMAN can lay claim to a first with the Mossman Hotel’s Bottle-O being voted the Best Detached Bottle Shop in Queensland at the recent Queensland Hotels Association’s Awards for Excellence.

The owner of the hotel, Paul McMahon, said this is a huge honour for both the store and the town.

“This is the first time an honour of this kind has been awarded in Mossman and we are immensely proud to be the first recipient,” said McMahon who took over the operation in February 2014.

“We’ve come a long way since I took over the business and the staff deserves high praise for the excellent service they provide to locals and visitors alike.

“Our selection is vast and varied and caters to everyone including the discerning customer,” said McMahon. Attached to Woolworths, it offers 460 wines and comparable to many of the larger bottle stores.

To be eligible for the award, they had to be an off-site, detached bottle store and meet the following criteria:

• Design, layout and presentation

• Outstanding customer service and staff product knowledge

• Quality and variety of beer, spirits and other products

• Good representation of Queensland wines

• Good variety of interstate wines

• A lesser list, but a reasonable variety of overseas wines

• Product range that suits local market needs

• Promotion of outlet (marketing, advertising and sign writing)

• Staff presentation (grooming, uniform)

• Optimum use of space and floor area. 

A QHA spokeswoman said: “This was a highly competitive category, and each detached bottle shop was judged in person by a member of our expert, independent judging panel.”

The annual QHA Awards for Excellence program is designed to provide a forum for the public recognition of excellence in individual and group achievement by Queensland hotels. In doing so, the program encourages the pursuit of higher standards of service, presentation and trade practices within our industry.

More than 1,000 guests attended the 24th annual QHA Awards for Excellence presentation evening. The Awards provide an opportunity for the hotel industry to not only honour the state’s best pubs, hotels and hoteliers, but celebrate the great quality and outstanding achievements the industry demonstrates year after year.

Further information: www.qha.org.au/qha-awards-for-excellence.html