DC’s annual RAMMY Awards for restaurants is adding a tech category

This year, the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington (RAMW) is bringing tech into the local restaurant game.

Wanting to find a way to replace categories like “Best New Restaurant,” seeing as there might not have been too many nominees to choose from, the RAMW’s annual RAMMY awards embraced tech as organizers created a new superlative. The public will now be able to vote on who is the best “Technology Trailblazer.” This category honors restaurants that embraced tech as a solution in pandemic-era dining. Additional new categories include “Most Innovative To-Go Packaging Game” and “Outstanding Ghost Kitchen or Pop-Up Concept.”

A statement from the RAMW said that while all restaurants had to embrace technology, the nominees for the trailblazers category used tech in unique ways to help out with safety and create better customer experiences.

“Restaurants had to act very fast to get their technology game going to support virtual menus, online ordering, contactless ordering and pickup, delivery platforms, group ordering as neighborhood’s looked to support restaurants and even air purification technology,” the statement reads. “This was no small feat.”

Here’s who’s up for the award:

• DC To Go-Go
• Ensemble
• GoTab
• Great American Restaurants
• Rumi’s Kitchen
• Silver Diner
• Stellina Pizzeria
• The Roost
• Think Food Group
• TTT

Voting for the category will be held via NBC4 Washington starting August 2, and the winners will be announced at an event September 19. View the full list of nominees here.