A POPULAR hospitality business located in the heart of Penola has won a prestigious award.
The Royal Oak Hotel received a bronze award at the Restaurant and Catering Association’s national awards for best restaurant following a nomination from the state association.
The award is the second the hotel has secured in recent months following its success with the state-level title.
Business owner John Rymill took ownership of the hotel less than two years ago, stating he believed the awards were signs they were on the right track.
“We were not expecting to win anything let alone bronze and we were excited and surprised to do so,” Mr Rymill said.
“What this award means for us is that we are heading in the right direction and it is quite a surprise considering we are only about a year or so into the business.”
Mr Rymill said he had experienced an influx in community support since taking over the hotel.
“We have received a lot of positive feedback which is fantastic and winning these awards is another form of positive feedback for us,” he said.
“It gives us the confidence to keep going down the path we have started on and to commit to that.”
Mr Rymill said the future vision for the pub was to provide a space where residents and visitors felt comfortable attending.
“We will continue to keep chipping away at what we are doing but we still have a lot to learn about how to run a business,” he said.
“So far we have received a lot of positive feedback from the community which is encouraging.
“It has been great to have that continued encouragement to reassure us we are on the right path for the business.”
