Featured photo: “Red” Robinson, of Strawn’s Eat Shop in Shreveport, accepts the P.R.I.D.E. Award for Outstanding Food Server in 2017.
Each year, the Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau (publisher of 20×49.com) organizes an awards gala called the P.R.I.D.E. Awards. P.R.I.D.E. stands for “Proud Residents Involved in Developing our Economy,” but these awards don’t celebrate local CEOs or business leaders. The P.R.I.D.E. Awards honor the best and brightest of the local hospitality industry – outstanding team members at hotels, restaurants, and attractions in Caddo and Bossier Parishes. P.R.I.D.E. Awards categories include Outstanding Food Server, Outstanding Bartender, Outstanding Bellman, and Outstanding Valet, among other categories. See the complete list of awards categories here.
The 2018 P.R.I.D.E. Awards will be held on Thursday, May 10. Nominations close at 8 a.m. on Thursday, April 19.
Anyone can submit a nomination – you don’t have to work in the industry. The process of submitting a nomination is free and takes about 10 minutes. Have a favorite restaurant server in Shreveport-Bossier? Nominate them for a P.R.I.D.E. Award. Know a team member at a hotel or attraction who always brightens your day? Nominate ’em. Have a favorite local festival or event? There’s a P.R.I.D.E. Award for that, as well.
Because I work for the Shreveport-Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau, I can’t submit nominations. But there are definitely folks who I wish I could nominate. If I could, I’d nominate Ms. Patou, the world’s sweetest server, who always brightens my trips to Frank’s Pizza Napoletana. She deserves a nod in the Outstanding Food Server category. K.J. Bernard, of Gators and Friends Adventure Park, is hard at work every time I visit, helping someone zip line over alligators or speed around their new racetrack. I’d love to see Holly Lim from Lucky Palace Chinese Restaurant or Mario Antonio Plaza from Wine Country Bistro nominated for Outstanding Restaurant Manager.
There’s an incredible amount of talent in our local hospitality industry. Let’s celebrate that talent. If you know someone who deserves to be nominated for the 2018 P.R.I.D.E. Awards, please take 10 minutes and submit their nomination here.
