It forms part of a collection of regional resilience awards handed out across the country by the Restaurant Association of New Zealand in the wake of Covid-19.
Nominations for the Queenstown Resilience Awards, which extended to the surrounding areas, were made by people working in the local hospitality sector and judged by a national panel.
Veteran restaurateur Grant Hattaway received the Local Hospo Hero Award for spearheading a group of 40-50 restaurateurs and leaseholders in the Queenstown Lakes District who negotiated reduced rents or better terms in lease renewals.
Mr Hattaway is the past co-owner of Queenstown establishments Blue Kanu, Pier and Captains Restaurant.
"I don’t think it was worth an award, but just something that needed to be done."
He said he shared knowledge built up over 20 years working in Queenstown and helped people negotiate with "quite savvy" landlords looking to maximise their investment.
One of the main issues facing leaseholders had been "hard ratchet clauses" that locked people into annual rent increases.
Love Chicken on Beach St was recognised for Outstanding Innovation after co-owners Darren Lovell and Kareem Harvey pivoted from their Fishbone restaurant.
The decision was taken to convert the venue after 15 years because they did not feel they could uphold a promise of "the freshest seafood in the area" without international customers.
Mr Lovell said it had been a hard decision and he was stoked to get recognition for making the tough call, which had proved popular with locals.
Cromwell-based Fusee Rouge Cafe owner Nicola Brockie
picked up the award for Outstanding Community Spirit after she co-ordinated a group that took care of shopping for older people and dog walking for those in quarantine.
