A Wolverhampton restaurant which serves food from around the world has received a national award for its excellence in diversity, equality and inclusion.
COSMO Restaurant, in Bentley Bridge Retail Park, picked up the prestigious accolade at the Signature Awards which were held at Vox, in Birmingham.
Mayor of Wolverhampton Councillor Dr Mike Hardacre and Wolverhampton North East MP Jane Stevenson attended the event with staff from the eat all you want buffet restaurant.
The awards are designed to be a celebration of the best in business and shined a spotlight on the work of professionals who provide cutting edge thinking to drive their organisations forward.
Last year, COSMO picked up the award for the UK’s Best Buffet Restaurant at the annual Food Awards England, which was also presented at a ceremony in Birmingham. It also picked up an award for the Best World Cuisine in the Midlands.
COSMO director Kan Koo said: “We are so proud that COSMO picked up the award for Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion – it is fitting that we are cosmopolitan by name and cosmopolitan by nature – our staff reflect the authenticity of the cuisine we offer.
“It has, and continues to be, a tough time for the hospitality industry with some major chains disappearing, soaring energy prices, staffing shortages and a cost-of-living crisis.
“To pick up an award against this backdrop is testament to the hard work of all our staff in the restaurant and our head office where policies such as our diversity, equality and inclusion are created.”
To win the award COSMO had to provide evidence of how the organisation had embraced diversity and inclusion as part of its overall business strategy. The organisation needed to show diversity and inclusion in practice and how their strategy had benefited the organisation and the impact it had on its bottom line and culture.
The Mayor of the West Midlands, Andy Street, gave a speech at the event, while TV star Alfie Best told his rags to riches story of being born in caravan to becoming a multi-millionaire mobile home tycoon.
Mr Koo added: “The award ceremony was a great event with 550 guests from all over the country. We were honoured to have our special guests – the Mayor of Wolverhampton and Jane Stevenson MP, who is Bentley Bridge Retail Park’s local MP.
“Inspirational speeches from Andy Street and Alfie Best certainly set out that hard work with perseverance is the key to success.
“It’s always good to see business leaders, industry peers, shining lights and role models together and this was definitely an evening to remember.”
