Lincoln BIG Worthless GEM Awards

It’s that time of year again, when worthless BID awards are handed out to some of worst businesses.

Bereft of any original ideas, Lincoln
BIG copied Experience Guildford business awards, right down to awarding some of the worst businesses.

A couple of years ago, one of the worst pubs won the pub category, a corporate chain serving fake Mexuxan food won the restaurant award.

Lincoln Tea & Coffee black oily over roasted coffee beans #coffee

— Keith Parkins (@keithpp.bsky.social) 2025-08-29T20:22:42.943Z

The short list this year for coffee shops…

– YOLO
– 200 Degrees
– Age UK

The first two are corporate chains, the third a national charity. All three serving very poor quality coffee.

YOLO part of Stack, disgusting junk food and bars serving poor quality drinks. The coffee poor quality catering supply coffee.

200 Degrees a regional chain of 20-30 coffee shops, owned by Caffè Nero. The coffee, poor quality Arabica from Brazil bulked out with poor quality Robusta from Vietnam.

Age UK, lunch akin to a greasy spoon cafe, coffee to match from Lincoln Tea and Coffee, the worst coffee I’ve ever had the misfortune to encounter, black oily over roasted beans, including broken beans.

Not exactly showcasing the best coffee served in Lincoln. It’s embarrasing. Reputable coffee shops refuse to participate, they don’t wish their reputation to be tarnished through association with Lincoln BIG.

It gets worse . There is a scam within a scam. Coffee from 200 Degrees and Lincoln Tea and Coffee plastered with little black stickers, Great Taste Award. It’s a consumer scam. It’s paid for by the producer, no guarantee of quality.

A recent book, Enshitification of the Internet could equally apply to the damage wrought on our once proud towns and cities.

Cretins in Town Halls with no understanding of how local economies function or what constitutes good town centre planning, entice in corporate chains. The corporate chains drain money out of the local economy, create a grey drab sameness, destroy any local character, sense of place or belonging, leading to social alienation, wipe out local businesses. The corporate chains built on debt, unable to compete with Amazon then collapse leaving behind dying town centres. The final nail in the coffin, BIDs move in, parasites gorging on the rotting festering remains of the dying town centre. The worthless BID Awards are a symbol of the final decay.

Lincoln Jazz Cafe espresso martini

A cold wet afternoon, the skies cleared and the temperature plummeted. Autumn is here.

cappuccino Coffee Aroma #Lincoln pic.twitter.com/Uzasz5z5je

— Keith Parkins (@keithpp) October 13, 2023

A cappuccino at Coffee Aroma, then to Lincoln Jazz Cafe to commiserate they did not win the utterly worthless Lincoln GEM award for best bar.

Lincoln BIG have made themselves a laughing stock.

If we look at the various categories, it is embarrassing.

The only two coffee shops worthy of note, Coffee Aroma and Madame Waffle, do not merit a mention.

Many excellent restaurants, not a mention. The GEM award went to Tortilla, a tacky chain eatery serving fake Mexican food.

The bar award to Snake and Lion binge drinking bar that attracts the drunken yobs, that should have lost its licence long ago, though I am told a new team are trying their best to clean up its act.

A little over eighty self-selecting entrants, whittled down to a short list of twenty-seven, three in each category, by a private company.

The criteria for the shortlist, for the winners, not known.

Hosted by Home nightclub. A free drink on entry and tidbits.

How much did this embarrassing farce cost?Not known.

Many businesses widely chose not to participate. The awards were an insult to excellent businesses in Lincoln. Far from showcasing the best of Lincoln, it highlighted the worst.

Lincoln Jazz Cafe was in another league to the winner. Dough LoCo in another league to the chain eatery that won.

An exercise in a BID squandering the BID Levy to give the impression doing something to justify its existence.

I hadn’t intended to stay at Lincoln Jazz Cafe, I stopped and enjoyed an excelent espresso martini.

espresso martini Lincoln Jazz Cafe #espresso #martini #cocktails #music #LincolnCocktailTrail #Lincoln pic.twitter.com/YiOM0sTzQs

— Keith Parkins (@keithpp) October 14, 2023

Lincoln BIG GEM awards

Tonight was the BIG night, Lincoln BIG following the lead of Experience Guildford, handing out worthless awards to undeserving businesses, all paid for by long suffering BID Levy payers.

1 WEEK TO GO!

The Lincoln BIG team are looking forward to welcoming shortlisted businesses to our first ever #GEMAwards 🤩

The stage is set and excitement is mounting as we prepare to celebrate with our members.

Find out more here: https://t.co/922TXnB7Ng pic.twitter.com/6r6RoGvzHH

— Lincoln BIG (@Lincoln_BIG) October 4, 2023

The stage is set, and we’re joined by 27 shortlisted businesses and 150 of their employees for the first ever #GEMAwards! pic.twitter.com/TIYVsJM0DD

— Lincoln BIG (@Lincoln_BIG) October 11, 2023

WOW – what a night 🤩

Congratulations to all the winners at our first ever #GEMAwards!

The Lincoln BIG team are delighted to celebrate and recognise the brilliant businesses in Lincoln 💜

Here’s a sneak peek at what the night involved 👀 pic.twitter.com/ouOPiD0DMV

— Lincoln BIG (@Lincoln_BIG) October 11, 2023

Those shortlisted, an embarrassment, some of the worst in their category. That is not to demean those worthy to be in their category. But many excellent in their category, don’t merit a mention

Only two excellent coffee shops in Lincoln. Neither were shortlisted.

Only a handful of eateries in Lincoln where it is worth eating. They don’t merit a mention.

A bottom feeding BID parasite drew up the shortlist. What was the criteria? How much were they paid?

Award ceremony hosted by Home nightclub. The cost of the event? At least 150 people were invited. Free drinks all night?