After over seven years at the helm of Mosta favourite San Remo, Chef Patron Chris Borg has closed down the restaurant ahead of the launch of a new takeaway venture.
Speaking to WhosWho.mt, Mr Borg explained that San Remo had faced several challenges, including rising costs and staffing issues, prompting him to rethink his business model.
His answer is Jimren, a new takeaway concept located just a short distance from San Remo which will combine traditional Maltese dishes with classic takeaway fare.
“If I had kept both eateries open at the same time, there would definitely have been a foul at one point,” he said. “So I decided to put all my energy into one eatery that requires fewer staff, lower costs and a smaller menu – and we move from there.”
Mr Borg has a long history with San Remo, having first worked there as a secondary school student alongside his father and family friend Martin Galea ‘Ix-Xufi’.
At the time, San Remo had a much simpler offering, serving only a few classic dishes such as rabbit, horse meat and chicken breast.
The former San Remo (Photo: San Remo)
Mr Borg subsequently studied at the ITS, spent time overseas and worked at several hotels and restaurants before eventually returning to San Remo as Chef Patron, where he revamped the menu.
“I always wanted something of my own, rather than working for others. It was a challenge for me – I started from zero and grew,” he said.
He credited his father, mother and girlfriend with helping him build the restaurant over the years.
However, running a restaurant also brought considerable pressures, from finding the right staff to dealing with demands for higher salaries and constantly rising costs of food items, all while ensuring customers’ high expectations were always met.
Mr Borg said that Jimren will allow him to operate with a smaller team and focus more of his attention on the food itself.
Chris Borg's new takeaway (Photo: Jimren)
“I will focus more on the product than the service and I will try to give 100 per cent to the food.”
The move will also give him more opportunities to interact directly with his customers, having spent much of his time at San Remo working behind the scenes in the kitchen.
Jimren is set to open in the coming weeks and will retain several San Remo items such as rabbit, snails and tripe, alongside takeaway items such as beef and lamb burgers and wraps.
“It will be takeaway food alongside Maltese food, a new concept,” he said.
While San Remo looks set to pass into new hands, Mr Borg stressed he is leaving on good terms and wishes his successors all the best.
“I will be here if they ever need some help,” he said.
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