The Pinnacle Guide is still within its Consultancy Phase since its global launch in February 2022. Following six-months of Round Tables and in depth interviews with the hospitality industry, the criteria is now available for the final round of feedback. Allowing time for anyone who feels inspired to be part of the process, The Pinnacle Guide will then be open for submissions from July 2023 with the hope of awarding a PIN before the end of the year. Creating The Pinnacle Guide is a unique opportunity – one we take extremely seriously and one we hope that the entire industry feels united by and inspired to be part of.
The Pinnacle Guide will become one of the bar industry’s most respected accolades of excellence and is designed to sit seamlessly alongside all existing bar recognition and ranking systems. It has, of course, taken inspiration from The Michelin Guide – an endorsement which has entered the vernacular and is the highest honour awarded to a restaurant.
We believe that the quality, creativity, passion and dedication that comes from the bar industry deserves an equivalent recognition system. How else will we truly bring discerning drinking into the mainstream?
By freely sharing our findings, documenting the process and opening the conversation during the Consultancy Phase – we want to inspire excellence across the board. We will create a platform to promote the list of honoured bars and will ensure that The Pinnacle Guide becomes a visible and invaluable resource for consumers around the world.
The creation of The Pinnacle Guide also offers an unrivalled opportunity to gather insight about the top echelon of the global drinks trade – an area of data that is currently in short supply. Knowledge is power, and through smart use of the information we require in order to award a PIN, we will have a unique opportunity to elevate the industry through insight.
Something we feel incredibly strongly about is that The Pinnacle Guide offers transparency at all stages. It should be clear what is recognised as excellence, so venues are in no question as to what they should be working towards. However, part of what makes the bar industry so special is the diversity of venues and experiences.
Therefore, it is vital that all voices are heard when deciding what is or is not a measure of merit – which has led to the inception of the Consultancy Phase. For The Pinnacle Guide to be globally respected and relevant, it’s imperative that as many individuals as possible are part of the process.
From March – August 2022, a series of fortnightly panel discussions took place in order to deep dive into the key elements that will become the criteria for rewarding excellence in bars. This criteria has now been published and is open for feedback from members of the bar community until June 2023. Anyone with an opinion is welcome to have their say and the panel discussions are still available to watch. We invite you to BE PART OF THE PROCESS
The Pinnacle Guide will have no limit on the number of bars that can receive a PIN and will simply reward excellence based on factual, impartial information. Bars will be graded within our clear set of parameters, that once finalised, will be used consistently across the globe.
During the Consultancy Phase, there is absolutely no barrier to entry – the online platform will be a place where all voices can be heard and acknowledged. These conversations will play a crucial part in building our framework to make The Pinnacle Guide a truly inclusive program moving forward and a platform that promotes inclusivity within the drinks trade as a whole.
Sustainability practices within venues and a socially responsible hiring policy will be recognized and rewarded within the rating system – and the weighting of such will be openly discussed during the Consultancy Phase.
Once The Pinnacle Guide is ready to begin reviewing, we will work hard to recruit local reviewers in all relevant territories to reduce any unnecessary travel requirements.
It is also imperative that The Pinnacle Guide is fully independent and so – rest assured, it will have no affiliation to any drinks brand that may lead or steer the conversations or decisions.
