THE operators of a Greenock restaurant are vying for a top industry award alongside some of the most celebrated venues and companies in the country.

Buzzworks, the hospitality firm behind the Scotts eatery at the town’s Ocean Terminal, has been named as a finalist in the health employer of the year category for the upcoming Scottish Bar and Pub Awards.

The Ayrshire-based business, which now runs 19 food and drink venues across Scotland having launched more than 20 years ago, is up against Apex Hotels, Manorview Hotels, and Signature Pub Group in the battle for the title.

The Greenock restaurant, which opened in 2023 at the new £20 million visitor centre, scooped the Newcomer of the Year prize at the Scotsman Scran Awards earlier this year.

It was highly commended in the 2024 Scottish Hospitality Awards and earned the same honour in the Scottish Restaurant Awards.

Winners at this year’s Scottish Bar and Pub Awards, run by industry magazine DRAM, will be crowned at a ceremony next Tuesday in Glasgow.