Honered restaurants accept the honor--photo by Wang Qian

　　The Jinan-based Palace Restaurant and Tianwai Shanzhuang Restaurant were each honored as a Platinum Five-Diamond Restaurant, a top honor for restaurants in China, on Jan 13 by the National Restaurant and Hotel Ranking Committee.

　　According to China’s Restaurant and Hotel Ranking System, the quality of the restaurants’ facilities, management, dish quality and hygiene met the highest level of national standards.

　　Jinan’s government for the past five years has promoted efforts by local restaurants to develop the essence of Shandong Cuisine and their own styles. The government also introduced other cuisine to Jinan to enrich the city’s catering package.

　　The 2011 Jinan Family Dinner on Chinese New Year’s Eve, which involves 100 restaurants and hotels, was also launched on Jan 13 as a major part of China’s National Shopping Festival for New Year’s Necessities organized by the China General Chamber of Commerce.

　　The catering industry in Jinan registered an annual increase of 20 percent during the last five years, and reported nearly 31 billion yuan in sales revenues in 2010.