THERE was success at the double for a Chester city centre pub as firms gathered for the annual CH1ChesterBID Customer Service Awards.

The event, held at Chester Town Hall, saw The Coach House pick up two awards, for ‘Best Restaurant’ and ‘Best Pub, Club and Bar’.

Celebrating the fact they had retained their awards were the Watergate Street Gallery, which held on to its title of Best Independent Retailer for the second successive year, and Jaunty Goat on Bridge Street, which made it a hat-trick of award wins for ‘Best Coffee Shop’, having won the award in 2017 and 2018.

Introduced by Chester’s Business Improvement District in 2015, the awards recognise Chester’s shops, restaurants, bars, independent retailers and other businesses that go the extra mile for customers.

Nominated online by the general public, the awards cover 14 different categories, including ‘Best Independent Business’ and ‘Best Large Retailer’. The retailers and outlets that received the most votes from the public were then visited by a mystery shopper to determine the overall winner for each category.

The Pied Bull was noted for its exceptional customer service in the category, ‘Best Hotel/B&B’, and winning the ‘Best of Grosvenor Shopping Centre’ was Whitewall Galleries.

Marks & Spencer won ‘Best Large Retailer’ (21 staff or more), whilst Accessorize picked up the accolade for ‘Small Fashion Retailer (20 staff or fewer)’.

Greggs was recognised as the ‘Best Food on the Go’ business, with the ‘Best Small Retailer’ (20 staff or fewer in the Chester branch) award being handed out to Disney Store.

Travel firm Deva Travel and Tours won the ‘Best Travel and Leisure’ award. Further winners included Lush in the ‘Health & Beauty Retailers’ category, as well as Specsavers, which picked up the award for ‘Best Health & Beauty Services’.

Lloyds Bank was presented with the ‘Best Professional Services’ award.

Carl Critchlow, BID manager at CH1ChesterBID, said: “These awards give us a chance to recognise the hardworking businesses that make Chester a unique place to shop, dine and visit.”

“We introduced the awards at the beginning of our first term and they are now something that we look forward to in the annual business calendar. We understand how important it is to celebrate brilliant customer service, which is integral to the success of the high street and encourages people to revisit Chester.”

“The 14 categories represent our BID members and reflect the wide range of businesses the city has to offer. It’s extremely important that we celebrate the contribution of those staff that exceed customers’ expectations, as it is them who make our city so welcoming and popular with Cestrians and tourists alike.”

“Everyone nominated should be proud of being recognised as a provider of excellent customer service, and our congratulations go to the winners of this year’s awards.”

Amanda Glennon, managing director of Inclusive Teaching Matters, who is spearheading the campaign to make Chester the first ever Makaton-friendly city, gave a talk to the businesses and taught them a few Makaton skills.

Business who attended also donated £152 to Claire House Children’s hospice through a raffle and a Chester-themed quiz on the night to help the charity with its work in the local area.

The full list of winners and shortlisted businesses was as follows:

  • Best Pub/Club/Bar

Nominated: The Alchemist, The Coach House, Barlounge.

Winner: The Coach House

  • Best Coffee Shop

Nominated: Jaunty Goat, Mad Hatters Tearoom & Bakery, Chatwins

Winner: Jaunty Goat

  • Best Restaurant

Nominated: The Coach House, Ristorante Sergio, Olive Tree Brasserie

Winner: The Coach House

  • Best Food on the Go

Nominated: Greggs, Chip O Dee, Five Guys

Winner: Greggs

  • Best Small Retailer (fewer than 20 employees in the Chester store)

Nominated: Hotel Chocolat, Disney Store, Build-a-Bear Workshop

Winner: Disney Store

  • Best Small Fashion Retailer (fewer than 20 employees in the Chester store)

Nominated: Ann Summers, Accessorize, Dr Martens

Winner: Accessorize

  • Best Large Retailer (more than 20 employees in the Chester store)

Nominated: Debenhams, Marks & Spencer, Boots Foregate Street

Winner: Marks & Spencer

  • Best Independent Retailer (fewer than 5 branches)

Nominated: Chester Market, Watergate Street Gallery, Weasel & The Bug

Winner: Watergate Street Gallery

  • Best Health & Beauty Services

Nominated: Specsavers, Boots Opticians, Inked Up Chester

Winner: Specsavers

  • Best Health & Beauty Retailer

Nominated: Lush, Superdrug, Boots Forum Shopping Centre

Winner: Lush

  • Best Travel & Leisure

Nominated: Abbey Taxis, Deva Travel & Tours, KingKabs

Winner: Deva Travel & Tours

  • Best Hotel/B&B

Nominated: The Grosvenor, The Pied Bull, The Coach House

Winner: The Pied Bull

  • Best Professional Services

Nominated: Barclays, Lloyds Bank, Oliver & Co

Winner: Lloyds Bank

  • Best of Grosvenor Shopping Centre

Nominated: The Perfume Shop, Whitewall Galleries, Kayes Jewellers

Winner: Whitewall Galleries