Valletta-based Bert’s, one of Malta’s oldest takeaways, is closing its doors tomorrow after around 50 years in business.
Up until the very end, its owner Bertu has kept his prices extremely low, with the menu including beef burgers for €3.50, ftira with pork meat for €3.00 and ħobż biż-żejt for €1.50.
“Food products have certainly become more expensive but I’ve tried to limit the price increases,” Bertu told GuideMeMalta.
“My tradition is that it’s better to sell cheap and sell a lot than to sell expensive and only sell a few.”
Based towards the southern end of Merchants Street, Bertu remembers a very different Valletta, when his was one of just a handful of eateries.
Business activity in the capital looked very different too, with much of it concentrated in the southern part of the city.
“Valletta has turned on its head,” he said. “I remember when the south used to be packed with work while Republic Street and Strada Street were dead. People were actually scared to walk through it because it was like walking through a cemetery.”
And although he admitted that increased competition in the industry has hit his small eatery, Bertu has no hesitation in stating that Valletta has progressed for the better.
“I’m not selfish – the situation has improved, even though business here might have declined.”
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