Business in the Community award for Bankside Restaurant

The Impact on Society Award for a Small Company was presented to Bankside Restaurant at a gala dinner at the Royal Albert Hall in front of an audience of 1600 business leaders, government ministers and opinion formers

In association with the Financial Times and Department of Trade and Industry, the Business in the Community Awards for Excellence are the culmination of a rigorous 12-month process involving over 100 independent assessors from business, the not-for-profit sector and government.

Bankside Restaurant in Southwark Bridge Road specialises in providing fresh, affordable, modern British cuisine, sourcing seasonal produce at Borough Market while managing environmental impacts and supporting local community groups and schools. Customer satisfaction is reflected in a 30% annual increase in turnover and the opening of another restaurant across the river in the City of London.

Following rigorous assessment earlier this year, the restaurant achieved the standard for Investor in People in light of its commitment to training and development. The assessor, Harry Barrick, concluded that the management had "provided an excellent example of how truly investing in people makes a difference to a business success. In a sector which is plagued by high turnover and absenteeism it's great to see that the leadership team has none of these issues."

"We are fully committed to developing workforce skills in order to achieve our wider business aims and objectives," says Kelvin Macdonald, the restaurant's MD. "We believe that investing time and money in our employees is beneficial to the customer, the employee and the business. We also take our corporate social responsibility role seriously. As a neighbourhood restaurant it has always been our aim to offer fresh affordable food for all, to support local charities and to act in an environmentally-responsible way. We are delighted to achieve recognition for these achievements and will strive to continue running the business as responsibly as possible for the benefit of all."

• To celebrate their success Bankside Restaurant would like to offer a complimentary glass of champagne to London SE1 website readers with evening dining throughout July. Just quote 'in SE1 offer'.