Executive Chef of Under Grain, a recently-awarded Michelin star restaurant, Victor Borg, believes it is difficult to expect restaurants to see the same volume of people it did in 2020 or even 2021.

He was participating in Episode 9 of The Boardroom, alongside Corinthia Palace Hotel Executive Chef Stefan Hogan on the future of the restaurant industry under the new conditions.

Under Grain (Valletta) will be opening its doors to the public on 5th June and has set up a dining area on the rooftop, in line with social distancing requirements and complementing the warm summer weather.

Victor said that he hopes the world never again experiences the disruption created by COVID-19, and that the disruption to business came as a shock.

He said management has been using this time to re-train staff and train new members on the new sanitisation requirements, and how they are expected to interact with customers.

Victor acknowledged that pre-COVID, a lot was taken for granted, and that the pandemic has acted as a wake-up call.

With a determined tone, Victor said that now is the time to look forward, as it does little good to look back. He stressed that the industry has to start from somewhere so that it can start to find its feet under the new conditions.