Restaurants in the Rabat/Mdina area say the number of clients is very low and while there are hopes that things can start getting better by next Easter, at least one restaurateur fears they will have to wait until summer 2022.

Compared to last summer, the situation at Bottegin Palazzo Xara, in Rabat, is “totally different”, its Sales & Marketing Manager, Kathleen Pearson, says.

Weekdays are very slow, she adds, with clients never exceeding 50 and usually numbering about 10. They are mainly locals, though some visitors turned up over the past days, probably due to the reopening of Malta International Airport and some guesthouses in Rabat.

The Sales & Marketing Manager noted that, during the week, Bottegin Palazzo Xara used to cater for tourist groups that would be visiting Rabat and Mdina on organised tours but these were stopped when the travel restrictions and containment measures kicked in.

It gets busier on Saturdays and Sundays, as is normal, though the numbers this time are much smaller. Also, for health reasons, the restaurant has cut the number of covers by about half. Between 80 and 100 people would frequent the restaurant over the weekend, mainly in the evening on Saturday and throughout the whole day on Sundays, Ms Pearson explains. Again, the bulk would consist of Maltese residents.

She is hopeful the distribution of vouchers by the Government will help boost clientele. Some weekend customers already used the vouchers and others called to enquire about their use.

The restaurant is not expecting improvements in the near future. “Next year will be difficult. Hopefully, we will be returning to 2019 levels in the summer of 2022,” Ms Pearson says.

Randolph Camilleri, Managing Director of Il-Veduta Pizzeria and Restaurant, also in Rabat, admits that, since they had ample room to ensure tables are adequately spaced, their problem is not covers, which they would have had to reduce to ensure social distance, but, rather, the number of people frequenting the restaurant.

He notes that, compared to previous summers, the number of clients this year fluctuated between 45 and 50 per cent and they all consisted of local patrons, meaning the reopening of the airport made no difference whatsoever to Il-Veduta.

It will take at least another 12 months before the situation will start returning to normal, Mr Camilleri predicts.

The Director of a leading restaurant in the Mdina area, who asked not to be identified, says the customers’ hesitancy in going to enclosed spaces is well understood. Therefore, it was decided to increase the spaces between tables, which meant reducing the number of covers by 40 per cent inside and 50 per cent outside.

Patronage is low, the Director points out, amounting to about 10 per cent of the sort of clientele they were used to in previous summers. The majority of those turning up at the restaurant in question are Maltese residents, which is not the norm because most of the clients would usually be foreign visitors. This would indicate that, at least so far, the reopening of the airport has not made any real difference, he adds.

The restaurant Director does not think the situation will be returning to normal any time soon. “Perhaps Easter 2021,” was his reply when asked when did he envisage the situation to start getting back to what it used to be in the past.

“Every day seems to impact business differently. In our case, we have not reached the critical mass necessary to have stability. This is shocking and very difficult,” the Director asserts.